Description: The evolution of climbing and walking robots from their introduction to the present time is described, and likely trends for the future are investigated. The book includes developments in sensing, actuation, locomotion and material technologies, as well as the range of applications where such robots have been used successfully. Examples highlighted encompass the manufacturing and construction industries, service tasks, personal care, health care, entertainment, and education. Four main sections are devoted to walking robot technology; climbing robot technology; the state of the art, with detailed case studies of actual robots and their applications; and design methodologies, including benchmarking and performance.

Table of Contents

Introduction - the historical perspective; Walking robots: Why walking robots?; Environments; Biological inspiration; Different configurations of legged robots; Climbing robots: Why climbing robots?; Environments; Biological inspiration; Adhesion methods; Locomotion methods; Current state of the art in CLAWAR robots: Walking robots - case studies; Climbing robots - case studies; CLAWAR robots - case studies; Design methodologies: Technologies and standards needed; Biological inspiration; Performance and benchmarking of designs; Conclusions and future trends.