Design of a Continuously Varying Electro-Permanent Magnet Adhesion Mechanism for Climbing Robots

Magnetic adhesion is the most common mechanism employed in Mobile Robots (MRs) used for inspection tasks in ferromagnetic structures. Both Permanent Magnets (PM) and Electro-Magnets (EM) present inherent constraints: constant magnetic force, PMs; or a continuous electric power supply, EMs. These constraints impact significantly on the performance of the MR when it comes to manoeuvring in complex structures. However, this paper presents a novel approach by implementing Electro-Permanent Magnet (EPM) technology. A single short electric pulse is enough to switch On and Off the adhesion force, and by controlling its amplitude the magnetic force can be driven to a desired value, enabling the continuously varying of the magnetic adhesive force. A simple wheel design is proposed and a set of simulations and related experiments performed.

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