Gecko inspired surface climbing robots

Many applications call for robots to perform tasks in workspaces where traditional vehicles cannot reach. Using robots to perform these tasks can afford better human safety as well as lower cost operations. This paper focuses on the development of gecko inspired synthetic dry adhesives for wall climbing robots which can scale vertical walls. Many applications are of great interest for this kind of robot such as inspection, repair, cleaning, and exploration. The fabrication of synthetic dry adhesives inspired by nature is discussed as well as the design of prototype wall climbing robots. Results are presented and discussed to show the feasibility of novel Gecko inspired robots.