A Pin-Array Structured Climbing Robot for Stable Locomotion on Steep Rocky Terrain

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Nagaoka, Keita, Uno, Kentaro, Yoshida, Kazuya
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Nagaoka, Keita
Uno, Kentaro
Yoshida, Kazuya
author_facet Nagaoka, Keita
Uno, Kentaro
Yoshida, Kazuya
contents Climbing robots face significant challenges when navigating unstructured environments, where reliable attachment to irregular surfaces is critical. We present a novel mobile climbing robot equipped with compliant pin-array structured grippers that passively conform to surface irregularities, ensuring stable ground gripping without the need for complicated sensing or control. Each pin features a vertically split design, combining an elastic element with a metal spine to enable mechanical interlocking with microscale surface features. Statistical modeling and experimental validation indicate that variability in individual pin forces and contact numbers are the primary sources of grasping uncertainty. The robot demonstrated robust and stable locomotion in indoor tests on inclined walls (10-30 degrees) and in outdoor tests on natural rocky terrain. This work highlights that a design emphasizing passive compliance and mechanical redundancy provides a practical and robust solution for real-world climbing robots while minimizing control complexity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_16543
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Pin-Array Structured Climbing Robot for Stable Locomotion on Steep Rocky Terrain
Nagaoka, Keita
Uno, Kentaro
Yoshida, Kazuya
Robotics
Hardware Architecture
Climbing robots face significant challenges when navigating unstructured environments, where reliable attachment to irregular surfaces is critical. We present a novel mobile climbing robot equipped with compliant pin-array structured grippers that passively conform to surface irregularities, ensuring stable ground gripping without the need for complicated sensing or control. Each pin features a vertically split design, combining an elastic element with a metal spine to enable mechanical interlocking with microscale surface features. Statistical modeling and experimental validation indicate that variability in individual pin forces and contact numbers are the primary sources of grasping uncertainty. The robot demonstrated robust and stable locomotion in indoor tests on inclined walls (10-30 degrees) and in outdoor tests on natural rocky terrain. This work highlights that a design emphasizing passive compliance and mechanical redundancy provides a practical and robust solution for real-world climbing robots while minimizing control complexity.
title A Pin-Array Structured Climbing Robot for Stable Locomotion on Steep Rocky Terrain
topic Robotics
Hardware Architecture
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.16543