Design and stability analysis of a novel wall-climbing robotic platform (ROPE RIDE)

The article proposes a design for a tethered vehicle that can move on walls. The vehicle makes use of a single tether mounted on the back of the vehicle but with a connection point right above the center of mass to counteract the forces of gravity. This way the connection to the wall only needs to provide enough friction to move the vehicle, not to support the weight of it. The vehicle has four triangular shaped caterpillars in order to move, and is being pressed on the wall by two propellers mounted on the back of the vehicle. The triangular caterpillars allow the vehicle to move over obstacles of nearly 100mm. The vehicle is being remote controlled by someone who can use the camera’s mounted on the vehicle to operate the vehicle. The article explains in depth why this design is more stable than other designs that do not make use of a tether.