A Three-dimensional Force Measuring Platform with Six-degrees of Freedom Motion Directions

When designing a wall climbing robot (WCR), it is necessary to know whether its attachment device can provide enough adhesion force to help it overcome gravity and stably attach to the wall. Building a force measuring platform can help us measure and understand the mechanical properties of the attachment device. In this paper, a three-dimensional force measuring platform with six degrees of freedom (DOFs) motion direction was designed. The platform is used to measure the adhesion force of a self-developed spiny palm with a compliant under-actuated ankle. By inputting the motion trajectory parameters, the platform can reproduce the actual motion of the foot in the robot. A three-dimensional force sensor is used to measure the contact force between the sole and the rough surface. The performance of the platform is verified by a group of control experiments. The experimental results show that the compliant under-actuated ankle enables the spiny palm to produce a more stable adhesion force.