Design and development of a self-reconfigurable climbing robot

在过去的20年里，自主机器人的开发一直是研究界关注的中心，这种机器人可以取代人类从事危险、肮脏和乏味的任务。在此背景下，里贾纳大学设计并开发了一种可自我重新配置的攀岩机。这种机器人系统可以被归类为一种新产品，因为它能够完成过去任何其他单一机器人都无法完成的大量任务。有了适当的关节运动协调，它将能够爬楼梯，在崎岖的地形上旅行，在空的管道和/或管道内移动，并爬过不同横截面、形状和大小的绳索/杆子。它还可以通过重新配置自己在狭窄的通道内移动。设计一种能够穿越大范围非常规地形的可重构机器人是本发明的创新之处。

Development of autonomous robots that can replace humans for doing dangerous, dirty and dull tasks have been the center of attention within the research community for the past 2 decades. In this context, a self-reconfigurable climbing machine has been designed and developed at the University of Regina. This robotic system can be categorized as a new product since it is capable of doing a multitude of tasks that no other single robot could do in the past. With proper joint-level motion coordination, it would be able to climb staircases, travel on rough terrains, move inside empty ducts and/or pipes, and climb over ropes/poles with varying cross sections, shapes, and sizes. It can also move inside narrow passage ways by reconfiguring itself. The design of a reconfigurable robot capable of traversing a wide range of unconventional terrains is the novelty in this invention.