Design of a Modular Wall-Climbing Robot with Multi-Plane Transition and Cleaning Capabilities

This paper presents the design and development of a new modular wall-climbing robot-Modular Wall Climbing-1 (MC-1)-for solving the problem of autonomous wall switching observed in wall-climbing robots. Each modular robot is capable of independently adhering to vertical surfaces and maneuvering, making it a fully autonomous robotic system. Multiple modules of MC-1 are connected by an electromagnet-based magnetic attachment method, and wall transitions are achieved using a servo motor mechanism. Moreover, an ultrasonic sensor is employed to measure the unknown wall-inclination angle. Mechanical analysis is conducted for MC-1 at rest individually and in combination to determine the required suction force. Experimental investigations are performed to assess the robot's crawling ability, loading capacity, and wall-transition performance. The results demonstrate that the MC-1 robot is capable of multi-angle wall transitions for executing multiple tasks. It provides a new approach for wall-climbing robots to collaborate during wall transitions through a quick attachment-and-disassembly device and an efficient wall detection method.