Research On Gecko's Moving Behavior And Developing Gecko-like Robot

Gecko's excellent moving ability is thought to derive from van der Waals force generated between the millions of keratinous hairs/setae and the contact surface, and the gecko's foot which can perform simple, effective and precise control such as the well-known adduction and rotation of pad and the twist of foot-toe. So, it is necessary to study the gecko's mobile behavior and gait characteristics and to fabricate the size-effect biomimetic micro/nano-scale ahsive arrays for applications of the gecko-like robot.As an object, Gekko gecko (gekkonidae) is widely studied from the following viewpoints of moving behavior, structure characterizations, kinematics simulation, control, and bio-mimic fabrication to develop the gecko-like robot. The main research contents are summarized as follows: (1) By using self-made testing system, we studied the gait and posture rules when the gecko moves on the ground, the wall, and the ceiling. We also studied the rules of the transition courses such as from the ground to the wall. By means of auxiliary CCD system, gecko's movements on the different plane were detailed recorded. Based on those data, we successfully designed the characteristic parameters and charts to analyze the movement rules. Those rules are useful for the robot design, gait simulation and gait planning (gait on the plane and transition gait).(2) Inspired by above observations, we analyzed the forward and reverse kinematics of the joint mechanisms from Gecko, and tried to design the detaied structural and technical parameters for gecko-like robot. Additionally, three mobile mechanisms related to the gecko-like robot were successively introduced. By using virtual prototyping technology, we drew a highly sketch image for the robot's gait from ground to wall, and a highly image for the"S-shaped"body diagonal gait. A plane gait planning software was developed based on structural parameters and movement characteristics.(3) This chapter prepared silicone rubber base and polyurethane-based gecko-inspired adhesion array primary structure by vacuum casting mold. Then on this basis has prepared the enlargement of silicone rubber-based secondary structure. Finally, use micro-friction testing machine (UMT) to have tested the tangent adhesion properties of the adhesion array. The results show that: the terminal enlargement structure increases the effective contact area, improve the tangential adhesion properties, with slider a short distance should be increased adhesion, but decreases with the sliding distance increased, and keep within a certain range; The adhesion force increases with the increase of the normal load and finally comes to the maximum tangential adhesion force of 84.668mN under the preload 15mN, when the normal load exceeds a certain value, the adhesion strength decreases, and maintains on this fluctuates, tends to the constant; The maximum shear adhesion strength of sliding with the setae is about 1.140N/cm2, significantly greater than that sliding against the setae produces the shear adhesion strength is about 0.223N/cm~2.