Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition Capabilities
Although robots are increasingly expected to perform inspection tasks in three-dimensional ferromagnetic structural environments, magnetic-wheeled climbing robots face significant challenges in overcoming obstacles and transiting between planes. In this paper, we propose a novel bicycle-like magneti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Machines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/13/2/167 |
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| author | Yongjian Bu Lide Dun Yongtao Deng Bingdong Jiang Aihua Jiang Haifei Zhu |
| author_facet | Yongjian Bu Lide Dun Yongtao Deng Bingdong Jiang Aihua Jiang Haifei Zhu |
| author_sort | Yongjian Bu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although robots are increasingly expected to perform inspection tasks in three-dimensional ferromagnetic structural environments, magnetic-wheeled climbing robots face significant challenges in overcoming obstacles and transiting between planes. In this paper, we propose a novel bicycle-like magnetic-wheeled climbing robot, named BiMagBot, featuring two magnetic wheels that allow the adaptive adjustment of magnetic adhesion without the need for active control. The front wheel incorporates an arc tentacle mechanism that rotates a ring magnet to adjust the magnetic adhesion, while the rear wheel uses an eccentric shaft-hole design to facilitate a smooth transition of magnetic adhesion between surfaces. The magnetic forces acting on both wheels during transitions through concave corners were analyzed and discussed via simulations to elucidate the underlying principles. A prototype of the robot was developed and tested experimentally. The results show that the front and rear wheels can adjust the magnetic adhesion during the transition of corners with angles ranging from 90° to 315°. The robot only weighs 1.6 kg, but it can carry a weight of 2 kg with a speed of 0.9 m/s to transit across concave corners, demonstrating comprehensive capabilities in plane transition, ease of control, and load capacity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c4d14dbaf6f14a69ac3c673c0343ae4e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2075-1702 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Machines |
| spelling | doaj-art-c4d14dbaf6f14a69ac3c673c0343ae4e2025-08-20T02:03:28ZengMDPI AGMachines2075-17022025-02-0113216710.3390/machines13020167Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition CapabilitiesYongjian Bu0Lide Dun1Yongtao Deng2Bingdong Jiang3Aihua Jiang4Haifei Zhu5School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaSchool of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaSchool of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaGuangzhou Academy of Special Equipment Inspection and Testing, Guangzhou 510663, ChinaGuangzhou Academy of Special Equipment Inspection and Testing, Guangzhou 510663, ChinaSchool of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, ChinaAlthough robots are increasingly expected to perform inspection tasks in three-dimensional ferromagnetic structural environments, magnetic-wheeled climbing robots face significant challenges in overcoming obstacles and transiting between planes. In this paper, we propose a novel bicycle-like magnetic-wheeled climbing robot, named BiMagBot, featuring two magnetic wheels that allow the adaptive adjustment of magnetic adhesion without the need for active control. The front wheel incorporates an arc tentacle mechanism that rotates a ring magnet to adjust the magnetic adhesion, while the rear wheel uses an eccentric shaft-hole design to facilitate a smooth transition of magnetic adhesion between surfaces. The magnetic forces acting on both wheels during transitions through concave corners were analyzed and discussed via simulations to elucidate the underlying principles. A prototype of the robot was developed and tested experimentally. The results show that the front and rear wheels can adjust the magnetic adhesion during the transition of corners with angles ranging from 90° to 315°. The robot only weighs 1.6 kg, but it can carry a weight of 2 kg with a speed of 0.9 m/s to transit across concave corners, demonstrating comprehensive capabilities in plane transition, ease of control, and load capacity.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/13/2/167magnetic-wheeled climbing robotsplane transitionadaptive adhesionbicycle-like configuration |
| spellingShingle | Yongjian Bu Lide Dun Yongtao Deng Bingdong Jiang Aihua Jiang Haifei Zhu Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition Capabilities Machines magnetic-wheeled climbing robots plane transition adaptive adhesion bicycle-like configuration |
| title | Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition Capabilities |
| title_full | Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition Capabilities |
| title_fullStr | Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition Capabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition Capabilities |
| title_short | Development of a Bicycle-like Magnetic-Wheeled Climbing Robot with Adaptive Plane-Transition Capabilities |
| title_sort | development of a bicycle like magnetic wheeled climbing robot with adaptive plane transition capabilities |
| topic | magnetic-wheeled climbing robots plane transition adaptive adhesion bicycle-like configuration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/13/2/167 |
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