An Adaptive Flexible Tree‐Climbing Robot Inspired by Primates and Inchworms

ABSTRACT With ongoing technological advancements, robotic systems have been increasingly integrated into forestry operations to improve safety and efficiency. However, most existing tree‐climbing robots face practical limitations, such as the need for straight trunks, uniform diameters, and the absence of branches or burls. To address these challenges, this study draws inspiration from both primates and inchworms, adopting a hybrid biomimetic design to develop an adaptive, flexible tree‐climbing robot capable of navigating trees with bent trunks, varying diameters, and branching structures. The robot's hardware consists of clamping modules, a turning module, a flexible body module, and stabilizing components. On the basis of actual climbing tests, the robot successfully climbed trees with inclined trunks and varying diameters ranging from 315 to 720 mm, and reached heights of over 4 m. Load testing demonstrated that the robot could carry an additional payload of 4.3 kgw. The results offer a practical solution for forestry automation and support the future integration of tool attachments for performing more complex forestry tasks.