Planar and flexible climbing robots suffer from buckling while climbing on a vertical surface. This paper analyzes two different modes: one-end free buckling and two-ends fixed buckling. As an ...example for buckling analyses, the paper focuses on an electrostatic climbing robot that features thin body. As the body of the robot has only 2.5 mm of thickness, it is more prone to buckling than any other flexible robots, making it the best example for the buckling problem. Based on the analyses, the paper proposes a buckling-free control strategy for the electrostatic robots. The proposed strategy guarantees the force balance between adhesive force and weight force, as well as the elastic stability of the robot. To implement the strategy, the paper investigates the available region of the proper forces and optimal parameters on the prototype robot. A prototype of climbing robot was developed to verify the analyses and solutions, weighing merely 29 g (excluding battery and control circuits). It successfully climbed up a vertical wall without buckling, carrying the payload of 0.4 N.
Climbing, a sport with increasing popularity, poses diverse risks and injury patterns across its various disciplines. This study evaluates the incidence and nature of climbing-related injuries, ...focusing on how different disciplines and climbers' personal characteristics affect these injuries. Data on injury incidence, severity, and consequences, as well as climbers' personal attributes, were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed models, Cochran-Armitage tests, and multivariate analysis. Our findings indicate a direct correlation between time spent on bouldering and lead climbing and increased injury frequency, while injury incidence decreases with time in traditional climbing. Interestingly, personal characteristics showed no significant impact on injury incidence or severity. However, distinct patterns emerged in individual disciplines regarding the recent injuries in which age and weight of climbers play a role. While the phase of occurrence and duration of consequences show no significant variation across disciplines, the intensity of the required treatment and causes of injury differ. This research provides insights into climbing injuries' complex nature, highlighting the need for tailored preventive strategies across climbing disciplines. It underscores the necessity for further investigation into the factors contributing to climbing injuries, advocating for more targeted injury prevention and safety measures in this evolving sport.
Abstract Indoor inspection robots operating in occupied buildings need to minimize disturbance to occupants and access high areas of a room and cramped spaces obstructed by obstacles for higher ...inspection coverage. However, existing indoor inspection robots are still unable to meet these requirements. This paper aims to explore the feasibility of applying wall-climbing robots to address these requirements. To this end, we propose a small-sized wall-climbing robot prototype that can move on common indoor surfaces. We extend the proposed prototype to support thermographic inspection by integrating thermal imaging technology into it. Experiment results show that the proposed robot prototype can reach more wall and floor areas for inspection than previously developed indoor inspection robots. It has also been demonstrated that the reduced size and the wall-climbing ability allow the robot to largely avoid human activity areas, thereby reducing disturbance to occupants. This study represents the first attempt to introduce wall-climbing robots into the indoor inspection domain and provides the initial validation of their advantages over existing indoor inspection robots regarding improving inspection coverage and minimizing disturbance to occupants. The findings in this study can provide valuable insights for the future design, selection and application of robotic systems for indoor inspection tasks.
RiSE and LEMUR IIB have good climbing ability. Inspired by these two robots, a new climbing robot with simplified motion mode and strong load capacity is proposed. In this paper, the structure of the ...robot is introduced detailedly. Through the dynamic analysis of its leg and body, the torque of the traction and swing motor under various driving modes are obtained. Static analysis of the robot's claw is also carried out during the climbing process. Meanwhile, the equivalent tangential force and normal force required for the claw attached to the wall are described. The results indicate that the robot has high mobility and can successfully realize the climbing movement.
Sport climbing, which is included in 2020 Olympic Games, is a new sport that is both recreational and performance-focused while being the subject of scientific research all around the world. The aim ...of this study was to analyze the changes in lactate concentration, heart rate and handgrip forces all at once in the actual sport climbing competition.
Thirteen male climbers volunteered for this study. The climbers climbed three different routes prepared according to the International Federation of Sport Climbing standards that are classified as easy, medium and difficult. Lactate, heart rate, dominant and non-dominant handgrip forces were measured for each route before climbing, immediately after, and during the third and fifth minutes after climbing. Climbing performance was determined using the number of holds that the competitor reached.
We observed significantly higher post-lactate concentration in comparison to the pre-climbing values for all climbing routes (p < 0.05). Statistical observation shows that post-climbing heart rate values were considerably higher than the pre-climbing values for all three climbing trials (p < 0.05). There were also statistically significant differences in climbing performance and handgrip force between the three routes (p < 0.05).
According to the results of this study, significant increases were noted in all three climbing routes relative to the pre-climb in lactate, heart rate and climbing performance data between the routes.
Stair climbing is necessary to improve the convenience of electric wheelchairs. An important issue in developing a climbable wheelchair is stability and speed during climbing. In this work, tri-wheel ...and supporting leg were adopted in the stair climbing method for high speed and stable posture. Based on the mechanical and static analyses of the climbing mechanism, the design method of the wheel cluster system was expressed as equations. These equations were proposed considering the design parameters that ensure the continuity and stability of the climbing motion. Moreover, the collision information between the stairs and the cluster system during the climbing motion was included in those equations. A validation test of the stair climbing mechanism was performed by manufacturing a prototype of 750 (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">W </tex-math></inline-formula>) x 800(<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">D </tex-math></inline-formula>) x 1,000(<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">H </tex-math></inline-formula>) <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">mm^{3} </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">120 kg </tex-math></inline-formula>. The experimental verification proved that the electric wheelchair can stably go up and down the stairs under extreme conditions (stair width = <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">300 mm </tex-math></inline-formula>, stair height = <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">180 mm </tex-math></inline-formula>) at a speed of 10 steps/min.
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