Design and Analysis of a Bio-Inspired Tracked Wall-Climbing Robot with Spines

To improve the adhesive capacity and the detaching efficiency and achieve efficient locomotion of the wall-climbing robot, a bio-inspired tracked wall-climbing robot with spines is proposed. The robot combines the easy detachment feature of legged robots and the large adhesive area feature of tracked robots, and its spine feet achieve controllable attachment and detachment without additional actuators. Firstly, inspired by the compliant tarsus of the Serica orientalis Motschulsky, a bio-inspired compliant spine mechanism is designed to adapt to the rough wall morphology and improve the adhesive capacity. Then, considering the difficulty for spines to detach from wall surfaces caused by the rotary movement of the track, a mechanism with double tracks is designed to mimic the foot attaching and detaching movements of insects. Finally, climbing experiments on several rough wall surfaces are conducted, and the results show that the attachment of spine feet is stable and the detachment is easy.