Snails exhibit stable sliding locomotion using a single high-payload sucker, a mechanism potentially beneficial for climbing robots. This research proposes an artificial sliding suction mechanism inspired by snails, utilizing water as an artificial mucus to reduce friction and enhance suction. A lightweight robot (96g) demonstrates vertical and inverted sliding, achieving high speeds (53°/s rotation, 19 mm/s translation) and high payload (1kg tested, 5.03kg theoretical). This method offers a low-cost, energy-efficient, high-payload, and clean adhesive locomotion strategy.

Tianqi Yue, Hermes Bloomfield-Gadelha, Jonathan Rossiter