A low-cost lightweight climbing robot for the inspection of vertical surfaces

This paper proposes a new type of low-cost climbing robot which is able to climb up vertical, cylindrical painted iron surfaces by means of eight suction cups, to change its climbing direction, and using an appropriate system, to carry an ultrasonic probe or other non-destructive tests (NDT) equipment to evaluate the thickness and the integrity of the metal in the inspection of storage tanks. The paper presents a discussion of the design and construction of the robot, the solution adopted for the problem of control and a simulation of the kinematic forward problem for a given trajectory. Finally, the authors give the results of various motion trials performed on walls with different inclinations and of different materials to verify the correct functioning of the movement and the adhesion system used. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.