Rooftop Solar Panel Cleaning Robot Using Omni Wheels

A solar panel cleaning robot was developed by using omni-wheels so that the robot can rotate and move freely and avoid turning the robot during operation. This research designed and developed drive system of the robot for climbing the inclined and slippery solar panels. The robot was equipped with sensors and encoders to accurately control its movement such as moved across gaps between panels and stops at the ends of panels. The results show that the robot was able to move on the inclined solar panels up to 10°inclined angle. The moving speed varied from 0.16-0.34 m/s when moving upward and downward inclined panels due to slipping. By comparing to the normal robot after 12 meters of cleaning distance, the omni wheel robot had position error of 0.3% (similar to normal robot) but saved about 64% of cleaning time by using rotating movement instead of turning.