Lemur IIb: a Robotic System for Steep Terrain Access.

Purpose – Introduces the Lemur IIb robot which allows the investigation of the technical hurdles associated with free climbing in steep terrain. These include controlling the distribution of contact forces during motion to ensure holds remain intact and to enable mobility through over‐hangs. Efforts also can be applied to further in‐situ characterization of the terrain, such as testing the strength of the holds and developing models of the individual holds and a terrain map.Design/methodology/approach – A free climbing robot system was designed and integrated. Climbing end‐effector were investigated and operational algorithms were developed.Findings – A 4‐limbed robotic system used to investigate several aspects of climbing system design including the mechanical system (novel end‐effectors, kinematics, joint design), sensing (force, attitude, vision), low‐level control (force‐control for tactile sensing and stability management), and planning (joint trajectories for stability). A new class of Ultrasonic/S...