The LEMUR 3 Limbed Climbing Robot

This paper introduces a new four-limbed robot,
LEMUR 3, that has demonstrated climbing on cliff faces and
smooth glass. Each limb on the robot consists of seven identical
actuators in a serial chain. Each limb terminates in a single axis
force sensor that allows various end effectors to be mounted
and connected to the robot’s power and communication system.
Microspine grippers were used for climbing the rocky surface
and gecko adhesive grippers were used for the glass solar
panels. All other hardware and much of the software was
common for the two demonstrations. The robot’s mechanical,
electrical, and software systems, various gripping devices, and
field demonstrations are described. Limbed mobility is of
interest to JPL and NASA because of its potential to access
extreme terrain, including that on Mars and in microgravity
environments.