Acarid Suction Cup‐Inspired Rapid and Tunable Magnetic Adhesion

Wall climbing robots using negative pressure suction always employ air pumps which have great noise and large volume. Two prototypes of bio-inspired miniature suction cup actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) are designed based on studying characteristics of biologic suction apparatuses, and the suction cups in this paper can be used as adhesion mechanisms for miniature wall climbing robots without air pumps. The first prototype with a two-way shape memory effect (TWSME) extension TiNi spring imitates the piston structure of the stalked sucker; the second one actuated by a one way SMA actuator with a bias has a basic structure of stiff margin, guiding element, leader and elastic element. Analytical model of the second prototype is founded considering the constitutive model of the SMA actuator, the deflection of the thin elastic plate under compound load and the thermo-dynamic model of the sealed air cavity. Experiments are done to test their suction characteristics, and the analytical model of the second prototype is simulated on Matlab/simulink platform and validated by experiments.

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Soft Hybrid Suction Cup Capable of Sticking to Various Objects and Environments

Actuators ◽

10.3390/act10030050 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 50

Author(s):

Hideyuki Tsukagoshi ◽

Yuichi Osada

Keyword(s):

Vertical Direction ◽

Check Valve ◽

Adhesive Force ◽

Outer Diameter ◽

Shear Direction ◽

Concrete Walls ◽

Suction Force ◽

Suction Cup ◽

Valve Function ◽

Suction Cups

A universal suction cup that can stick to various objects expands the areas in which robots can work. However, the size, shape, and surface roughness of objects to which conventional suction cups can stick are limited. To overcome this challenge, we propose a new hybrid suction cup structure that uses the adhesive force of sticky gel and the suction force of negative pressure. In addition, a flexible and thin pneumatic balloon actuator with a check valve function is installed in the interior, enabling the controllable detachment from objects. The prototype has an outer diameter of 55 mm, a weight of 18.8 g, and generates an adsorption force of 80 N in the vertical direction and 60 N in the shear direction on porous walls where conventional suction cups struggle to adsorb. We confirmed that parts smaller than the suction cup and fragile potato chips are adsorbed by the prototype. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through experiments in which a drone with the prototypes can be attached to and detached from concrete walls and ceilings while flying; the possibility of adsorption to dusty and wet plates is discussed.

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A New Family of Magnetic Adhesion Based Wall-Climbing Robots

Mechanisms and Machine Science - Advances in Italian Mechanism Science ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-03320-0_24 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 223-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stefano Seriani ◽

Lorenzo Scalera ◽

Alessandro Gasparetto ◽

Paolo Gallina

Keyword(s):

Climbing Robots ◽

New Family ◽

Magnetic Adhesion

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Adaptable legged-magnetic adhesion tracked wheel robotic platform for misaligned mooring chain climbing and inspection

Industrial Robot the international journal of robotics research and application ◽

10.1108/ir-04-2018-0074 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 634-646 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mahesh Dissanayake ◽

Tariq Pervez Sattar ◽

Shehan Lowe ◽

Ivan Pinson ◽

Tat-hean Gan

Keyword(s):

Offshore Structures ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Robotic Platform ◽

Destructive Testing ◽

Content Type ◽

Integrity Assessment ◽

Human Operators ◽

Chain Links ◽

Mooring Chain ◽

Magnetic Adhesion

Purpose Mooring chains used to stabilise offshore floating platforms are often subjected to harsh environmental conditions on a daily basis, i.e. high tidal waves, storms, etc. Therefore, the integrity assessment of chain links is vital, and regular inspection is mandatory for offshore structures. The development of chain climbing robots is still in its infancy due to the complicated climbing structure presented by mooring chains. The purpose of this paper is to establish an automated climbing technique for mooring chain inspection. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a Cartesian legged tracked-wheel crawler robot developed for mooring chain inspection. The proposed robot addresses the misalignment condition of the mooring chains which is commonly evident in in situ conditions. Findings The mooring chain link misalignment is investigated mathematically and used as a design parameter for the proposed robot. The robot is validated with laboratory-based climbing experiments. Practical implications Chain breaking can lead to vessel drift and serious damage such as riser rupture, production shutdown and hydrocarbon release. Currently, structural health monitoring of chain links is conducted using either remotely operated vehicles which come at a high cost or by manual means which increase the danger to human operators. The robot can be used as a platform to convey equipment, i.e. tools for non-destructive testing/evaluation applications. Originality/value This study has upgraded a previously designed magnetic adhesion tracked-wheel mooring chain climbing robot to address the misalignment issues of operational mooring chains. As a result of this study, the idea of an orthogonally placed Cartesian legged-magnetic adhesion tracked wheel robotic platform which can eliminate concerns related to the misaligned mooring chain climbing has been established.

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Ionic contents of leachate from grassland soils: a comparison between ceramic suction cup samples and drainage

Soil Use and Management ◽

10.1111/j.1475-2743.1997.tb00559.x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 68-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

D. J. Hatch ◽

S. C. Jarvis ◽

A. J. Rook ◽

A. W. Bristow

Keyword(s):

Grassland Soils ◽

Suction Cup

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Suction‐Cup‐Inspired Adhesive Micromotors for Drug Delivery

Advanced Science ◽

10.1002/advs.202103384 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2103384

Author(s):

Lijun Cai ◽

Cheng Zhao ◽

Hanxu Chen ◽

Lu Fan ◽

Yuanjin Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Suction Cup

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A Pressing Attachment Approach for a Wall-Climbing Robot Utilizing Passive Suction Cups

Robotics ◽

10.3390/robotics9020026 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 26

Author(s):

Dingxin Ge ◽

Yongchen Tang ◽

Shugen Ma ◽

Takahiro Matsuno ◽

Chao Ren

Keyword(s):

Experimental Test ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Climbing Robot ◽

Guide Rail ◽

Test Bed ◽

Climbing Robots ◽

Pressing Method ◽

Suction Cup ◽

Suction Cups

This paper proposes a pressing method for wall-climbing robots to prevent them from falling. In order to realize the method, the properties of the utilized suction cup are studied experimentally. Then based on the results, a guide rail is designed to distribute the attached suction cup force and implement the pressing method. A prototype of a wall-climbing robot that utilizes passive suction cups and one motor is used to demonstrate the proposed method. An experimental test-bed is designed to measure the force changes of the suction cup when the robot climbs upwards. The experimental results validate that the suction cup can completely attach to the surface by the proposed method, and demonstrate that the robot can climb upwards without falling.

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Analysis of the Pneumatic System Parameters of the Suction Cup Integrated with the Head for Harvesting Strawberry Fruit

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20164389 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (16) ◽

pp. 4389

Author(s):

Sławomir Kurpaska ◽

Zygmunt Sobol ◽

Norbert Pedryc ◽

Tomasz Hebda ◽

Piotr Nawara

Keyword(s):

Testing Machine ◽

Equivalent Diameter ◽

Strawberry Fruit ◽

Measurement Instruments ◽

Suction Force ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Surface Areas ◽

Suction Cup ◽

Suction Cups ◽

End Effectors

Fruit and vegetable harvest efficiency depends on the mechanization and automation of production. The available literature lacks the results of research on the applicability of pneumatic end effectors among grippers for the robotic harvesting of strawberries. To determine their practical applications, a series of tests was performed. They included the determination of the morphological indicators of the strawberry, fruit suction force, the real stress exerted by fruit suckers and the degree of fruit damage. The fruits’ morphological indicators included the relationships between the weight and geometrical dimensions of the tested fruit, the equivalent diameter, and the sphericity coefficient. The fruit suction force was determined on a stand equipped with a vacuum pump, and control and measurement instruments, as well as a MTS 2 testing machine. The necrosis caused by tissue damage to the fruits by suction cup adhesion was assessed by counting the necrosis surface areas using the LabView programme. The assessment of the necrosis was conducted immediately upon the test’s performance, after 24 and after 72h. The stress values were calculated by referring the values of the suction forces obtained to the surface of the suction cup face. The tests were carried out with three constructions of suction cups and three positions of suction cup faces on the fruits’ surface. The research shows that there is a possibility for using pneumatic suction cups in robotic picking heads. The experiments performed indicate that the types of suction cups constructions, and the zones and directions of the suction cups’ application to the fruit significantly affect the values of the suction forces and stresses affecting the fruit. The surface areas of the necrosis formed depend mainly on the time that elapses between the test and their assessment. The weight of strawberry fruit in the conducted experiment constituted from 13.6% to 23.1% of the average suction force.

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