Investigation of locomotion validity of a vertical wall climbing single-wheel robot for curved surfaces

The Ibex platform was designed to navigate smooth to minimally rough curved vertical surfaces for various purposes such as inspection and cleaning. Being of a single-wheel configuration, it is necessary to investigate how the system functions in terms of overall suction and locomotion ability. This paper presents the modelling of the Ibex system as a unicycle with its tilt affected by various forces. Experiments were conducted to understand how the system reacts to various impeller inputs under static and locomotion on the floor in order to understand how the system works without having to tackle the issue of gravity. While these experiments were successful, preliminary tests on a curved acrylic pipe proved problematic and requires further investigations.