Fracture-based grasping: dynamic impact enables predictable robotic anchoring to freshwater ice

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Climbing robots face challenges gripping smooth and wavy surfaces like ice.
• Current ice anchoring methods (drilling, thermal picks) demand high force or energy.
• Need for efficient and low-force anchoring solutions for robotic field applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel anchoring mechanism for ice gripping robots.
• To reduce the initial surface compression force and energy consumption for ice anchoring.
• To enable climbing robots to operate effectively on icy terrains.

Main Methods:

• Developed a fracture-based grasping system inspired by mountaineering.
• Utilized dynamic impacts with axes to create indentations on ice surfaces.
• Modeled indentation depth, recoil energy, and compression force based on impact energy.

Main Results:

• The dual-ax gripper achieved anchoring with only 8.3 N of initial compression force and 8 J of energy.
• Results were consistent with first-principle model predictions for -14°C freshwater ice.
• The gripper demonstrated successful weight-holding capability on steep glacier slopes.

Conclusions:

• Fracture-based grasping is a promising approach for ice climbing robots.
• The developed mechanism offers a low-force, low-energy alternative to existing anchoring solutions.
• The concept shows potential for application on diverse surfaces like wood, rock, and soil.