The Technical University of Liberec has introduced the second generation of its special service robot, the ROBOTUL Vertical Climber 02, which uses a unique stepping movement to traverse smooth and structured surfaces, such as the glass walls of buildings. Its safe and highly precise operation is guaranteed by a B&R control system with compact ACOPOSmicro servodrives.
The new approach taken by the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation ensures linear movement, track stability and smooth rotation, while enabling the robot to step over discontinuous surfaces and mounting holes. It can move with a high degree of safety on vertical—and even negatively sloped—walls. Based on feedback and experiences with its predecessor, this new generation is being developed in the context of the 3-year pre-seed project “New Technologies and Special Machine Components.”
The Vertical Climber 02 is designed to clean walls and perform surface inspections, such as checking mounting points on glass panels or checking the integrity of stainless steel pressure vessels. It can also be used as a mobile platform for other technology, including cleaning and dust-removal equipment. The robot has compact dimensions of 112 x 112 x 30 cm and weighs 48 kg. The maximum workload for the robot is 20 kg. Up to 80 sqm can be cleaned per hour, or up to 90 sqm inspected.
The body consists of a compact duralumin frame with a rotary servodrive connected to a rotary chassis. Its four moving legs are each driven by a separate rotary servodrive. The duralumin frame and the legs are equipped with articulated active suction caps combined with smart ejectors. Multiple smart sensors identify the position of the robot in space and with respect to the contact wall plane.
B&R Industrial Automation Corp.
br-automation.com
Filed Under: TECHNOLOGIES + PRODUCTS, The Robot Report
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