Wall Climbing Robot for the Inspection and Maintenance of Buildings

The inspection and maintenance of buildings and other structures constitutes a significant proportion of the workload of the construction industry. Difficulties associated with access, risk of injury and costs, point to the need to reduce human involvement and look for means of automating these activities. In this paper conceptual requirements are identified and robotic devices designed and produced at Bristol Polytechnic for this purpose are discussed. The latest prototype is described including the enabling technologies such as delivery mechanisms, control and communication systems, adhesion mechanisms and the vehicle structure. Tests using the robot are described, including experiments using a cover meter mounted on reciprocating mechanisms to feedback data (computer interfaced) on re-bar cover and position.