A robot for infrastructure inspection that mimics a spider moving by manipulating threads.
Monozukuri (Saitama University Research Seed Collection 2025-27 p.63)
Keywords: 6-legged robot, wire towing, weight compensation, off-road walking, SLAM
To prevent landslides in mountainous areas and to inspect the aging of buildings and infrastructure in urban areas, workers access the site directly using ropes to carry out their tasks. These operations are dangerous, and the cost of training specialized workers is also a significant issue. Our research group is engaged in the development of bio-inspired robots, which incorporate the excellent functions and structures of organisms in nature to enhance robot performance. Currently, we are developing a robotic system that can move freely on uneven steep slopes by combining a six-legged walking robot with a mobility assistance device that compensates for the robot's weight using wire towing, inspired by the movement patterns of spiders. Although spiders are small creatures, they possess exceptional mobility, allowing them to climb up and down rocks and trees many times their size using their long legs and silk they produce themselves. This innovative robotic system performs dangerous tasks in place of human workers.
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Ryuuichi Hodoshima, Associate Professor Department of Mechanical Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Field of Human Support Engineering 【Recent Research Themes】 ● Hirame-type mesh robot modeled after flat organisms such as the planarian ● Four-legged walking robot modeled after lizards for the purpose of task mobility ● Gliding snake-type robot that mimics the gliding motion of flying snakes ● Slinky-type mobile robot based on the deformation mechanism of origami and the movement style of Slinky toys ● Outdoor wide-area work system using a tethered suspension movement device between parallel vehicles
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【Appeal Points to the Industry】 ● A powerful drive system design method that coordinates multiple joints using a chemical fiber wire network ● A walking pattern generation method for freely walking on three-dimensional uneven terrain ● An environment recognition system specialized for walking robots ● A weight compensation system that negates the effects of gravity, allowing movement on steep slopes as if on a horizontal plane ● A field robot system that performs tasks in dangerous locations on behalf of humans 【Examples of Practical Use, Applications, and Utilization】 ● Application in civil engineering for safety assessments to prevent landslides and rockfalls in mountainous areas ● Application in social infrastructure for aging assessments of buildings and bridges in urban areas ● Application in plant maintenance for inspections and renovations of piping and tanks ● Improved mobility performance of walking robots through a highly versatile environment recognition system ● Attractions utilizing the weight compensation system
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Concept of a six-legged walking robot for survey work using a wire-based mobility assistance device.
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The Saitama University Open Innovation Center is a center that functions as a liaison office for industry-academia-government collaboration. It consists of three departments: the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Department, the Intellectual Property Department, and the Startup Support Department, each staffed with coordinators well-versed in various fields. The center's activities include solving technical challenges in companies, supporting the implementation of joint research, and conducting technology transfer aimed at introducing and utilizing Saitama University's intellectual property.
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