Abstract: In order to safely reclaim the special cable inspection robot for cable-stayed bridge,an energy-saving re- claiming method based on back electromotive force is proposed.Based on the slider-crank mechanism driven pneumatic cylinder,a gas damper is designed to exhaust the extra energy generated by gravity when the robot is slipping down.A mathematical model is built and the landing velocity is simulated.Experiments have been made both in laboratory and on a cable-stayed bridge over Yangtse River.The experiment results show that the robot can carry a payload of 3.5 kg and slide down steadily and safely along the cables of which the diameters vary from 65 mm to 205 mm and the slant angles vary from 30°to 90°,so safely reclaiming in case of electrical malfunction can be realized.