A Biomimetic Robot Crawling Upstream using Adhesive Suckers Inspired by Net-winged Midge Larvae

Net-winged midge larvae (genus Liponeura) can achieve robust attachment and crawl on the slippery surface in the fast stream with their powerful abdominal suckers. The rigid spine-like structures distributed in the sucker cavity called microtrichia, have been proven to be crucial in the adhesion process. In this work, we carry out a design of the biomimetic sucker with the spine-like structures and then implement various tests using biomimetic suckers to verify the adhesion capacity enhancement brought by spine-like structures. Finally, we assemble the suckers in a quadruped crawling robot capable of locomotion in both aerial and aquatic environments with a speed of 56.4 mm/s (0.225 BL/s) and can crawl upstream against a turbulent flow with a speed of 38.2 mm/s (0.152 BL/s). This study will inspire biomimetic design in future robotics, and pave the way for future robots to realize long-term observation and monitoring in complex environments.