The development trend of the Climbing robot1. Preface:Climbing robot is an important branch in the field of mobile robot, flexible mobile on vertical wall, replace artificial under the condition of the limit to complete various tasks, is one of the hotspot in research of the robot. It is mainly used in the nuclear industry, petrochemical industry, shipbuilding, fire departments and investigation activities, such as the building external wall cleaning, material storage tank in petrochemical enterprise testing and maintenance, the outer wall of large steel plate spray paint, and in building accident rescue and relief, etc., and achieved good social benefits and economic benefits, has wide development prospects.After 30 years of development, the field of robot which has emerged a large number of fruitful results, especially since the 1990 s, especially rapid development in the field of climbing robot at home and abroad. In recent years, due to the development of a variety of new technology, the robot which solved many technical challenges, greatly promote the development of the climbing robot. The robot design activities of universities in our country also has a wide development, this kind of atmosphere for our robot research and development of special and professional talents' cultivation is of positive significance.2. Climbing robot research status abroad1966 Japanese professor west light wall mobile robot prototype is developed for the first time, and performance success in Osaka prefecture university. This is a kind of rely on negative pressure adsorption climbing robot. Then appeared various types of climbing robot, has already begun to the late 80 s application in the production. Japan's most rapid development in the development of climbing robot, mainly used in the construction industry and nuclear industry. Such as: Japan shimizu construction company has developed with the outer wall of the building industry coating with ceramic tile of the robot, they developed by negative pressure adsorption cleaning climbing robot, on the surface of the glass for the Canadian embassy to clean. Tokyo university of technology development of the wireless remote control magnetic adsorption climbing robot. In Japan's miti "limit homework robot" national research projects, supported by day CDH, developed a large pot of negative pressure adsorption surface inspection robots used in nuclear power plants, etc.Other countries are also added to the climbing robot research upsurge, such as: Seattle Henry R Seemann under the funding of the Boeing company developed a vacuum adsorption crawler "AutoCrawler" robot. On the two tracks each containing a number of small adsorption chamber, with the moving of the crawler, adsorption chamber form continuous vacuum cavity and makes the crawler walking against the wall. American CaseWestern Reserve University developed by using four climbing robot prototype "legs". Similar to the first two robots, the robot depends on four "legs" on biomimetic viscous materials to adsorption, the prototype is the four legs wheel on the sole of the foot even special distribution is more advantageous to the robot stable crawling on the wall. The quality of the robot is only 87 g. Polytechnic school in the early 1990 s, British Portsmouth has developed a climbing robot multilegged walking type. Adopting modular design, the robot is composed of two similar modules, each module includes two mechanical legs and leg controller. According to the task need to install a different number of legs, reconfigurable ability. Mechanical legs using bionics mechanism, simulation of the large animals arm muscle function, is two type, including upper and lower two and three double-acting cylinder, with three degrees of freedom. Good stability and bearing capacity is big, the robot's lightweight, and can span bigger obstacles. In addition to the leg on one end of vacuum cups, robot equipped with suction cups, abdomen mass ratio of powder and make the robot has a larger load of 2:1.3. Climbing robot research status in ChinaChina is also in a similar study since the 1990 s. In 1988 at the national "863" high technology program, under the support of the robotics institute of Harbin institute of technology has successfully developed the use of magnetic adsorption and vacuum adsorption two series of five types of wall climbing robot. Successful development of the our country the first wall climbing robot remote detection, using negative pressure adsorption, omni-directional mobile wheel, used for nuclear waste storage jars of wall weld defect detection. Developed in 1994 for tall buildings wall climbing robot cleaning CLR - , adopts the omni-directional mobile mechanism, the robot in situ can arbitrarily change the direction of movement. After the development of the CLR - , driven by two independent ways - coaxial two-wheeled differential mechanism, through the coordination of two rounds of speed control to realize the omni-directional mobile robot, the robot ontology and using power line carrier communication methods between the ground control station. Above-mentioned three climbing machine adopts single suction cup structure, spring air sealed, ensure the crawl robot with high speed and reliable adhesion ability. In 1995 successfully developed the metal corrosion by magnetic adsorption climbing robot, structure of permanent magnetic adsorption, accomplished by two tracks positive &negative mobile turn. The robot can do for petrochemical enterprises to the outer wall of the metal material storage tank to spray paint, sandblasting, as well as with automatic detection system to test the tank wall thickness. Developed in 1997's detection of water wall climbing robot, a circular permanent magnet adsorption block in conformity with the tank wall arc, improve the adsorption capacity, and improve the efficiency of the operation. Shanghai university also conducted early tall wall cleaning robot research, successively developed a vertical wall climbing robot and spherical wall climbing robot. The spherical wall climbing robot adopts many suckers, negative pressure adsorption, 6 foot independent driving leg feet walking style, can be used for different radius of curvature of the spherical outer wall since 1996, the Beijing university of aeronautics and astronautics has successfully developed WASH2 MAN, CLEANBOT 1, SKYCLEAN, "hanging basket type window robot" and "LanTianJie treasure" curtain wall cleaning robot prototype. For all the window is brushed pneumatic robot; Hanging basket type cleaning robot, the robot depends on the roof of the safety line traction, attached with the negative pressure made by fan robot on the wall in the application background of national grand theatre ellipsoid ceiling cleaning developed suitable for complex curved surface from climbing robot prototype, the climbing mechanism, mobile mechanism, cleaning robot has many similarities, but due to its special working environment and mission requirements, in terms of theory and technology has some particularity.4. The key technology of robot:4.1 adsorption mechanism, adsorption mechanism of action is to produce an upward force to balance the gravity of the robot, keep it on the wall. Currently, magnetic adsorption methods mainly include vacuum negative pressure adsorption, adsorption, propeller thrust and binder etc. Several ways. Due to the adsorption methods each have limitations, climbing robot developed by often targeted strong, applies only to a specific task, difficult to generalize. Robot design need to work on task, environment, choose the right means of adsorption. In recent years, people through the study of the adsorption mechanism of gecko reptiles such as the soles of your feet, making the polymer synthesis of viscous material, the use of van der Waals force between the molecules and molecular materials, can be obtained on the contact area of small huge adsorption capacity, and has the advantages of adsorption has nothing to do with the surface material properties. Short life but at the moment, the use of these materials, the use of a certain number of times after lose viscosity, practical, need further study.4.2 mobile mechanism and motion control system: mobile mechanism and the movement control system of robot which major wheeled mobile mechanism, more foot type, such as caterpillar, among them, the wheel and foot type which has been widely used, caterpillar much for magnetic adsorption method. Obstacle ability is wall robot which used to an important indicator of performance. When work surface is convex, groove, the robot to go through these obstacles, we must have enough obstacle ability. All kinds of mobile mechanism, more foot type robot obstacle-navigation ability is stronger, its each leg small suction cup is placed, when faced with obstacles, can control the "leg", make the small suction cup across the obstacles one by one. Wall mobile mechanism of the robot can make the robot on the premise of reliable adsorption can move on the wall. Due to the particularity of climbing robot working in wall, mobile mechanism and adsorption mechanism exists coupling, which brought some difficulties to the robot's motion control. Than climbing robot sucker foot type and legs with a suction cup at the end, every move a leg needs to be done "to eliminate suction - leg - Wallace leg, left leg - generate adsorption force" a series of actions. In this process, the robot mobile mechanism of the action should coordinate with each other, and the adsorption mechanism to to guarantee the flexible mobile robot on the wall. In addition, there is also a mobile mechanism and adsorption separation, such as single suction cups, robot sucker adsorption, sustainable continuous movement of driving wheel mobile robot, motion control is relatively simple.Energy supply and drive mode: 4.3 the driving mode of energy supply and energy supply way with people via the wire line for the machine to provide energy such as electricity, gas, also has a built-in battery, cylinders and so on. Drive ways mainly have the pneumatic motor and other several ways. Climbing robot is designed to adopt high efficiency quality than drive and source of power, especially the wireless control cases. Using motor drive, energy supply mainly include polymer lithium battery, nickel metal hydride batteries, electrochemical batteries and fuel cells. In addition, due to the energy of internal combustion engine - - gasoline, hydrogen fuel can have higher weight ratio, such as advanced micro internal combustion engine can also be applied to the climbing robot.Safety problems: 4.4 the robot by interference, environmental change circumstances, how to ensure the safety of the robot is attached to the wall without falling, falling or after how to minimize the damage of the robot. The past buildings cleaning climbing robot, developed by most used by in carrying the car at the top of the tower, hoisting and wire rope of insurance system on the robot. Robot for some other purposes, such as detection with small climbing robot, the goal is not sure, cannot use the rope way of insurance, so need to study new way to prevent falling. Could consider using a parachute, small power into a pulp, fast supporting resistance drop plate, etc., these may be a future development direction of climbing robot safety measures.5. Development trend of the robotHard drive, sensor and control the development of software technology has greatly promoted the development of climbing robot technology, the demand of the practical application is also put forward the challenge, the development of robot climbing robot development trend in the aggregate, basically has the following several aspects. (1) the development of new adsorption technology. Adsorption technology has been a bottleneck of the development of the robot, it determines the application range of the robot. (2) the task of robot from simplification to muti_function change direction. The past most climbing robot which is used for washing, spraying, detection and so on homework, homework tasks are often confined to a single task. Now people want climbing robot can equipped with a variety of tools, are working on different occasions. (3) the miniaturization, micromation is currently the trend of the development of the robot. On the premise of meet the functional requirements, small volume, light quality of robot can be less energy consumption, high flexibility, and in some special occasions are also need robot with small volume. (4) by the mooring operation development to the direction of untethered. Because the robot working space is generally larger, mooring operation greatly limits the robot working space, so, in order to improve the flexibility of robot and expand the working space, no cable is changed and is now and the future development trend of the robot. (5) by simple remote monitoring to intelligent direction. Combined with artificial intelligence, the robot can in a closed environment has a certain capacity for independent decision and complete the task, and have ego to protect ability, is the important direction of mobile robot, is also a important development direction of mobile robot climbing wall. (6) the adaptability of the reconfigurable robot is an important indicator. In order to make the robots could be used in different occasions, according to the mission requirements, under the condition of the system does not need to design, make full use of existing robot system, should make with reconfigurable robot, which has a modular structure. According to the mission requirements, the need of module is directly connected to form a new robot.