Purpose With the booming application of metal mesh structures in architecture, the demand for their high-altitude inspection and maintenance has grown significantly. However, existing mesh climbing robots are challenged by their load-capacity, and the diversity in geometries and sizes of metal mesh structures. To address this problem, this paper aims to present a novel Rope-Aided Single-Arm Robot for Climbing (RASARC). Design/methodology/approach Using a rope drive system and a robotic arm system, the RASARC achieves climbing motion with high load-capacity for work at height. To ensure smoothness of the robotic arm’s operations, we calculated its operational performance across the workspace to identify the boundaries of its Comfortable Operation Zone (COZ). The COZ is then used to guide the installation design of the robotic arm on the RASARC. Findings Experiments validated the effectiveness of the proposed rope-aided climbing motion. Meanwhile, the arm’s installation design ensured smooth operation, effectively preventing jerky motion or stalling caused by singularities. Originality/value The authors designed, manufactured and tested a prototype of a climbing robot that uses a novel rope-aided climbing motion, providing a new solution for climbing on nonstandard structural surfaces.
Jia et al. (Wed,) studied this question.