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| Robots scale new heights | Robots scale new heights |
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| Advertisement | Advertisement |
| Robot that climbs up walls and crawls across windows | Robot that climbs up walls and crawls across windows |
| Robots that can climb walls have been developed by scientists in the United States. | Robots that can climb walls have been developed by scientists in the United States. |
| The robots can scale surfaces using the same principles behind electrostatic charges, which make balloons stick to ceilings after being rubbed. | The robots can scale surfaces using the same principles behind electrostatic charges, which make balloons stick to ceilings after being rubbed. |
| Developed by a team in SRI's Mobile Robotics and Transducers Programme, the machines are about the size of a remote-controlled car and have caterpillar tracks similar to those on toy tanks. | |
| Inside these tracks are materials with electro-adhesive properties, which mean that when a current is applied, the tracks are attracted to the wall, preventing the robots from falling off. FROM DIGITAL PLANET class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/digital_planet.shtml">More from Digital Planet | |
| "What we've invented is a way to induce charges on the wall using a power supply located on the robot," research engineer Harsha Prahlad told BBC World Service's Digital Planet programme. | "What we've invented is a way to induce charges on the wall using a power supply located on the robot," research engineer Harsha Prahlad told BBC World Service's Digital Planet programme. |
| "The robot carries with it positive and negative charges, and when the walls sees these charges it automatically generates the opposite charge. The robot can then clamp onto those charges. | "The robot carries with it positive and negative charges, and when the walls sees these charges it automatically generates the opposite charge. The robot can then clamp onto those charges. |
| "In some ways it is similar to rubbing a balloon and sticking it on the wall, except we carry our own power supply and are able to control the adhesion." | "In some ways it is similar to rubbing a balloon and sticking it on the wall, except we carry our own power supply and are able to control the adhesion." |
| Insect robots | Insect robots |
| Electrostatic charge occurs when positively-charged particles are drawn towards negatively-charged surfaces. | Electrostatic charge occurs when positively-charged particles are drawn towards negatively-charged surfaces. |
| When a balloon is rubbed against a jumper, for example, negatively-charged electrons are removed, meaning the jumper becomes positively-charged - and attracted to static surfaces. | When a balloon is rubbed against a jumper, for example, negatively-charged electrons are removed, meaning the jumper becomes positively-charged - and attracted to static surfaces. |
| The robots can climb up and down a range of surfaces | The robots can climb up and down a range of surfaces |
| The same basic idea has been applied in the wall-climbing robots, only much more powerfully. | The same basic idea has been applied in the wall-climbing robots, only much more powerfully. |
| The technology, called compliant electroadhesion, uses a very small amount of power and the robots can crawl at a speed of about one body length per second. | The technology, called compliant electroadhesion, uses a very small amount of power and the robots can crawl at a speed of about one body length per second. |
| The robots are being touted for use by the military, for reconnissance, for service applications and as toys. | The robots are being touted for use by the military, for reconnissance, for service applications and as toys. |
| "It is very similar to how a toy tank works, with the two treads," Mr Prahlad explained. | "It is very similar to how a toy tank works, with the two treads," Mr Prahlad explained. |
| "There are positive and negative traces attached to the treads. | "There are positive and negative traces attached to the treads. |
| "We simply drive it, moving it like a conveyer belt." | "We simply drive it, moving it like a conveyer belt." |
| The team is now working on a way to apply their technology to more insect-like robots, to mirror the way that creatures such as flies are able to walk upside-down. | The team is now working on a way to apply their technology to more insect-like robots, to mirror the way that creatures such as flies are able to walk upside-down. |
| This will be done by putting electro-adhesive pads on the robot feet. | This will be done by putting electro-adhesive pads on the robot feet. |
| "We often think of electrostatic forces as very weak - but if you get very close, you can get very strong forces from this," Mr Prahlad added. | "We often think of electrostatic forces as very weak - but if you get very close, you can get very strong forces from this," Mr Prahlad added. |