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Investigation of locomotion validity of a vertical wall climbing single-wheel robot for curved surfaces

A Vertical Robot for Curved Surfaces

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Abstract

The Ibex platform was designed to navigate smooth to minimally rough curved vertical surfaces for various purposes such as inspection and cleaning. Being of a single-wheel configuration, it is necessary to investigate how the system functions in terms of overall suction and locomotion ability. This paper presents the modelling of the Ibex system as a unicycle with its tilt affected by various forces. Experiments were conducted to understand how the system reacts to various impeller inputs under static and locomotion on the floor in order to understand how the system works without having to tackle the issue of gravity. While these experiments were successful, preliminary tests on a curved acrylic pipe proved problematic and requires further investigations.

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Funding

This research is supported by the National Robotics Programme under its Robotics Enabling Capabilities and Technologies (Funding Agency Project No. 192 25 00051), National Robotics Programme under its Robot Domain Specific (Funding Agency Project No. 192 22 00058) and administered by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore

    Rizuwana Parween, Tan Yeh Wen & Mohan Rajesh Elara

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  1. Rizuwana Parween
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  2. Tan Yeh Wen
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  3. Mohan Rajesh Elara
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Contributions

The lead author is involved in the modeling, analyzing experimental results, paper framework, writing, and proofreading. The second author is involved in modeling, conducting experiments and analyzing experimental results. All authors equally involved in development and proofreading the paper.

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Correspondence to Rizuwana Parween.

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Parween, R., Yeh Wen, T. & Elara, M.R. Investigation of locomotion validity of a vertical wall climbing single-wheel robot for curved surfaces. Meccanica 58, 781–793 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-023-01636-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-023-01636-7

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