TBCP-II Robot Can Scale Walls | TechTree.com

TBCP-II Robot Can Scale Walls

Borrows the idea from the ugly lizard.

 

Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada have developed a robot that has the ability to scale smooth walls. It can also do stuff such as inspecting pipes, buildings, aircraft, and nuclear power plants.

The use of magnets, suction cups, spines, and claws has been pretty common for wall-climbing. However, they all lack the ability to tackle smooth surfaces such as glass or plastic. To overcome this, the creators have used a unique adhesive that mimics the toe pads of a lizard. This gives it the ability to cling to vertical surfaces and even ceilings.

The 240-gramme TBCP-II (Timeless Belt Climbing Platform) is also fitted with sensors that can detect its surroundings, helping it manoeuvre around obstacles. Capable of moving at 3.5 cm/s, the device is slow. However, since the research is backed by the Canadian government as well as the European Space Agency, further improvement can be expected.

Here's a video of the robot in action:





 


TAGS: Science, Robots, ck

 
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