Bristle mechanism study of a shape reconfigurable brush robot

Abstract

This work introduces the concept of a shape reconfigurable brush robot used for work in collapsed buildings or tunnels. This paper presents the bristle mechanism and traction experiments relating to a robot, which is designed to be able to negotiate pipes with variable cross section or ill constrained tunnel‐like voids within rubble. Traction experiments in the laboratory were used to investigate the characteristics of bristles and the performance of the brush units of different shapes. The experimental results are used to analyse the interaction between brush units and different shaped boxes and related to bristle characteristics with a view to give guidance for the design of a future brush‐based shape reconfigurable robot.

Citation

Wang, Z. (2003), "Bristle mechanism study of a shape reconfigurable brush robot", Industrial Robot, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 543-551. https://doi.org/10.1108/01439910310506819