SRI’s Wall Bot Sticks With Static
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Wednesday, 21 of May , 2008 at 12:39 am
Getting robots to stick to things is a surprisingly robust field of research, and we’ve seen all kinds of wicked cool examples of climbing technology, from bots that suck to bots with claws to bots with super sticky gecko feet. SRI International’s electroadhesive robots use an entirely different technology to climb: static electricity.
Somehow, and I’m not entirely sure how, the SRI bots are able to “clamp” to conducting and non-conducting surfaces by generating the same type of electrostatic charge that will stick a balloon to your head if you rub it on your hair. This effect works on surfaces like wood, concrete, drywall, and even glass, and isn’t effected by dust or dirt. Plus, you can turn it on and off instantly. Clamping pressures range from 0.8 to 2.3 pounds per square inch, and only uses 20 microwatts/newton weight held of electricity. Look for this tech to appear in (surprise!) military recon bots, and (actual surprise) maybe even toys or, eventually, human wall climbing accessories.
Click through to the Popular Mechanics article to check out a video of one of these bots climbing drywall, which is about as exciting as it sounds.
[ SRI ] VIA [ Popular Mechanics ]
Category: Research
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