The development of wall climbing robots is relatively recent, beginning with some large scale robots in the early 1990s. Wall climbing robots can be used to gain access to or inspect space that is not easily accessible or dangerous for human operators. The range of applicable fields encompasses industrial processes and inspection, exploration, rescue and monitoring. The smaller robots can be used for surveillance purposes due to their stealthy nature. Larger crawling robots may be used to carry out specific tasks such as sand blasting of ship hulls and blasting and spray painting of large containers such as cylindrical storage tanks used by the chemical, petroleum and nuclear industries. Their flexibility and mobility mean that they can accomplish tasks that would be impossible for more conventional robots. The flexibility of mobility that such robots gain from their ability to move on all surfaces rather than only horizontal ones creates some unique challenges. Broadly, they can be split into three categories: robot design, robot control and motion planning, and environmental mapping and localisation. This thesis examines the first two of these problems. A prototype bipedal robot has been built and a second designed in order to capitalise on the experience gained with the first. An in-depth examination of the motion planning problem has been made and new techniques to tackle this problem have been developed. Such techniques are not limited to applications with wall climbing robots as there is commonality with more traditional fixed manipulators. Finally, the planning techniques were combined with the robot design in a test scenario that validated both the design and the motion planning techniques developed throughout the dissertation.

Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-83).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 91 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-86).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1961. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 29).

Inaug.-Diss.--Göttingen. / Lebenslauf.

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF IAN M. PENDERGAST-WHITE, for the Master of Science degree in FORESTRY, presented on *July 7, 2010, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: CONSTRAINTS TO CONTINUED ROCK CLIMBING PARTICIPATION IN THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS REGION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Jean Mangun In recent years rock climbing has seen dramatic increases in the number of participants nationwide. Climbing opportunities in southern Illinois are expected to become popular climbing destinations as the area becomes better publicized. The high quality sandstone, aesthetic features, and easy access help to ensure that the number of rock climbers coming to the region will only continue to grow. As has been described in the literature with other "new" activities on public lands, concern from land management agencies likewise continues to grow in direct correlation with the increasing numbers of climbers. Although there are literally dozens of published articles in the sports medicine literature about injuries from rock climbing and physiological responses, there is a surprising lack of research on the activity itself. The present study applies a qualitative approach to collect baseline data that characterizes regional climbing participants and their concerns before resource allocation issues develop further. Twenty climber interviews, two climber focus groups, and four key informant interviews with managers were conducted and data analyzed for emerging themes. Findings from the analysis suggest: although a strong sense of community and dedication to the activity exists within the climbing user group, climbers express concern that their activity lacks stature as a legitimate resource-based recreation activity among other stakeholder groups. Differing perceptions of the environmental impacts associated with climbing persist that lead to climbing access issues. Creation of local climbing organizations, such as the Illinois Climbers Association, can play a pivotal role in promoting progressive collaboration among stakeholders groups, which will be necessary to resolve these issues and better integrate rock climbing into the mix of accepted recreation activities in the southern Illinois region.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether age, gender and experience level of climbers and mountaineers have a relationship to the type of accidents or the immediate cause of accidents occurring in Colorado. Through examination of the relationship between climbing and mountaineering accidents and the selected variables, insight into accident prevention, as well as information that may be useful in developing training and curriculum on rock climbing and mountaineering practices can be gained. Categorical data on five variables from 114 accident reports were collected to conduct this study. The accident reports came from the American Alpine Club's publication Accidents in North American Mountaineering 1997-2007. All accidents that occurred in Colorado from 1997 through 2007 were used for this study. The study found that males had more accidents than females. It also found that climbers in the "experienced" category had more accidents than climbers in the "little or none" category. The study found a relationship between experience and type of accident, with more experienced climbers having more accidents. There was also a relationship between experience and cause of accidents, with more experienced climbers having more accidents.

The purpose of this study was to find the best robot configuration for climbing and descending stairs, in addition to traveling on flat surfaces. Candidate robot types were analyzed to find the most suitable one for further study, based on stability, size, and energy consumption. Based on these considerations, the non-variable configuration tracked robot type was selected. The basic robot parameters (minimum track size, comparison of tracks with grousers vs. tracks without grousers, track angle of attack) were determined using static analysis methods and using North American standards for the stair geometry. Dynamic analysis methods were then employed to refine the geometry and ensure the stability of the robot when climbing and descending stairs. The final design was then simulated in Matlab to profile the device's velocity, acceleration, and power consumption during the stair climbing and descending phases. A prototype robot was constructed. The results of this study show that a non-variable tracked robot can be constructed for the purpose of climbing stairs by applying static and dynamic analysis techniques to optimize a design. This study provides the groundwork for this design, which can also serve as a basis for designing robots with other configurations.

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