Abstract: With the increasing size of space facilities, on-orbit assembly requires robots to move on different heights of trusses. This paper proposes a bio-inspired attachment mechanism for robot feet to enable climbing on different heights of trusses. Inspired by the attachment and grasping abilities of Dynastes Hercules, we utilize its foot microstructures, such as microhooks and setae, to achieve efficient contact and firm grip with the surface. The morphology and arrangement of these structures can inspire the design of robot feet to improve their grasping and stability performance. We study the biological structure of Dynastes Hercules, design and optimize the bio-inspired structure, analyze the influence of various factors from theoretical and experimental perspectives, and verify the feasibility of the scheme through simulation. We propose an ideal climbing strategy that provides useful reference for robot applications in practice. Moreover, the influence laws of various factors in this paper can be applied to robot foot design to improve their operation ability and stability performance in the space environment. This bio-inspired mechanism can improve robot working range and efficiency, which is critical for on-orbit assembly in space.

Key words: Space assembly robot , · Truss climbing , · Bionic structure , · Dynastes Hercules tarsus