Advances in climbing and walking robots
Ming Xie, Steven Dubowsky, Jean-guy Fontaine, M. Osman Tokhi, Gurvinder S. Virk
Robotics is an exciting field in engineering and natural sciences. Robotics has already made important widespread contributions and impact in industrial robots for tasks such as assembly, welding, painting, and material handling. In parallel, we have also witnessed the emergence of special robots, which perform valuable tasks, in non-industrial environments such as in search and rescue, de-mining, surveillance, exploration, and security missions. Furthermore, research and development works are currently in progress in the robotics technology for use in the domestic and professional service sector. The emergence of mobile machines, such as climbing and walking robots, for these missions in un-structured environments, has significantly broadened challenges that must be considered by robotics research. This includes not only the technological and engineering aspects including standardisation, but also socio-economic and ethical aspects.
