Disney Research Launches VertiGo Wall-Climbing Robot
Posted on December 30, 2015
Disney Research has announced the launch of VertiGo, a wall-climbing robot. The robot can transition from ground movement to climbing up and along walls. The robot is a collaboration between Disney Research Zurich and ETH.
The robot has two tiltable propellers that provide thrust onto the wall. The robot also has four wheels. One pair of wheels is steerable. Each propeller has two degrees of freedom for adjusting the direction of thrust. Disney Research says the use of propellers to provide thrust onto the wall enables the robot to traverse over indentations such as masonry. The robot also has eight individually controlled actuators.
The researchers wanted to maximize the ratio between thrust output and vehicle weight with VertiGo. To make the robot lightweight a central carbon fiber baseplate was used. 3D-printed parts were used in conjunction with carbon-rods to develop parts like the the wheel suspension and wheels. The thrusters were mounted onto the baseplate using a two-ringed Cardan Suspension. The inner and outer ring can be moved independently from each other using integrated servomotors.
Here is a video of VertiGo in action:
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