Climbing Without a Vacuum Pump

The most crucial issue with climbing robots it the question of how to achieve sufficient adhesive forces. Normally suction cups are used in combination with at least one vacuum pump. Unfortunately, weight, cost, and complexity of the robot are determined heavily by that. This paper describes how so-called passive suction cups can be used for climbing robots. They are evacuated simply by pressing them to the surface and thus simple, robust, and cheap. A simple mechanism is also sufficient to release them. Hence, climbing robots can be built simpler and cheaper as the example of the climbing robot DEXTER illustrates.