The RiSE Climbing Robot

in collaboration with Boston Dynamics, Inc., Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, U.C. Berkeley, and Lewis & Clark University


The RiSE Climbing Robot
RiSE V2 platform, performing an untethered climb of a multistory building. March 2006. RiSE uses microspine toes on its feet to attach to surfaces such as stucco or brick.
Overview

The goal of the RiSE project is to create a bioinspired climbing robot with the unique ability to walk on land and climb on vertical surfaces. Active research studies novel robot kinematics, precision-manufactured compliant feet and appendages, and advanced robot behaviors. This project is funded by the DARPA Biodynotics Program.

Our work within the Kod*lab on the RiSE project focuses on behavioral control of legged climbing, discovering how gait control methods can be applied for adverse scenarios in which feedback is a necessity in climbing. Combined with unique robotic mechanisms, our behavioral controllers have produced locomotion on a variety of outdoor climbing surfaces, such as trees, poles, stucco, and brick.

Robotic Platforms

  • RiSE V1– the first generation prototype climbing machine
  • RiSE V2 – a hexapedal climbing robot for general use on both level ground and vertical domains
  • RiSE V3 – a quadrupedal climbing robot for rapid general outdoor climbing, as well as horizontal mobility
  • DynoClimber – a testbed for dynamic climbing behaviors, two legs, operates on test carpet wall
  • StickyBot – a testbed for dry adhesive panels, built by colleagues at Stanford University
  • SpinyBot – a testbed for microspine arrays, built by colleagues at Stanford University

External links

Media Appearances

2009

2008

2006

2005

Relevant Publications

2009

2008

2006

2005

  • Robotics in Scansorial EnvironmentsSPIE Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology VII, 2005