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Tiny Robots Climb Walls Carrying More Than 100 Times Their Weight

Posted by samzenpus on from the carrying-a-heavy-load dept.

schwit1 writes: Mighty things come in small packages. The little robots in this video can haul things that weigh over 100 times more than themselves. The super-strong bots — built by mechanical engineers at Stanford — will be presented next month at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Seattle, Washington. The secret is in the adhesives on the robots' feet. Their design is inspired by geckos, which have climbing skills that are legendary in the animal kingdom. The adhesives are covered in minute rubber spikes that grip firmly onto the wall as the robot climbs. When pressure is applied, the spikes bend, increasing their surface area and thus their stickiness. When the robot picks its foot back up, the spikes straighten out again and detach easily.

19 comments

  1. Alternative youtube video by Katatsumuri · · Score: 0

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... Not sure if it is the same one; could not be bothered to install the plugin.

    1. Re:Alternative youtube video by Katatsumuri · · Score: 4, Informative

      No, that was the old prototype from 2010. This must be the new strong thing, looks really impressive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  2. when i was a kid, by dwpbike · · Score: 5, Funny

    we had roaches that could do that

    1. Re:when i was a kid, by Ken_g6 · · Score: 2

      But these robots are more likely to do what you want them to do than roaches. (Well, most roaches, anyway.)

      --
      (T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
    2. Re:when i was a kid, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What kind of shit were you rollin' man?

    3. Re:when i was a kid, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we had roaches that could do that

      lol!

  3. Dragging 45 pounds! by monkeyzoo · · Score: 2

    It's crazy this part where it drags a 45 pound weight (~20kg).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  4. Battery not included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To be useful over a period of a few minutes 2/3 of the load will be a battery!

  5. english mather fucker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Either my English teacher was a fraud or this part of the sentence "climbing skills that are legendary in the animal kingdom" (from summary does not mean what the author wanted to say.

    1. Re:english mather fucker by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      My English teacher was Dr. Doolittle.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  6. Just like by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just like ants. Nature and natural selection, the best engineers!

  7. Square-Cube law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I guess the author doesn't have a clue about the Squre-Cube law

  8. But can the robots... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But can the robots sell me car insurance?

  9. Didn't Hiro make these? #BigHero6 by rhyous · · Score: 1

    Didn't Hiro, from Big Hero 6, make these? Do they include the neuro transmitter?