Bipedal Oscillating roBot (BOB) Dynamic Climber
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Publications |
![]() Figure 1. (Left) Bipedal dynamic climbing platform. The single actuator rotates both gears which are phyiscally locked 180 degrees out of phase to move the linear guide rails. (Top Right) Mechanism for compliant wrist. (Bottom Right) Adjustable shoulder to allow variable sprawl angle. |
Animals have shown the ability to climb vertical surfaces with high speed and stability. Utilizing the underlying dynamics of these animals, robotic platforms have been developed that climb vertical surfaces with similar speed. It is hypothesized that the pre-incidence angle of the legs, commonly referred to as sprawl angle, for these robotic platforms can significantly affect vertical velocities, efficiency, and stability as well as passively controlling body oscillations. To date, little empirical work has been conducted on the effect of sprawl angle and wall inclination on the performance of dynamic climbing platforms. Current research presents initial results utilizing a biologically inspired dynamical climbing platform to understand the effect of sprawl angle and wall inclination on dynamic climbing. Simulations have shown that a sprawl angle of 3 0 degrees maximizes vertical velocity overall, while experimental results show that a sprawl angle of approximately 10 degrees maximizes vertical velocity, while in both increasing sprawl angle increases lateral velocities over all wall inclinations. |
Videos
![]() Miniature Bipedal Dynamic Climber climbing utilizing a 10 degree sprawl angle |
![]() Miniature Bipedal Dynamic Climber climbing utilizing a 30 degree sprawl angle |



