Climbing and walking robots for hazardous environments

Robotics has been playing an increasing role in a variety of application areas where routine tasks need to be carried out in a well specified manner to ensure aspects such as quality and reliability. Various robotic machines such as fixed-base manipulators for manufacturing applications have been designed to carry out pick and place tasks and mobile machines with wheels and tracks have been constructed for inspection and bomb disposal purposes. The primary difficulty with these mobile machines is their inability to address uneven surfaces, although some can negotiate obstacles and climb/descend stairs. This difficulty has led to the requirement and development of climbing and walking machines which forms the focus of this paper