KOREA – Researchers have created robots that can climb steep surfaces and walk upside down on ceilings thanks to magnetic materials and magnets.

4-legged robot moves on the wall. Photo: Science Robotics

A trio of researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology collaborated with colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to design and build a four-legged robot with magnetic feet. Can climb on walls and ceilings of buildings or structures made of metal. In research published on December 14 in the journal Science Robotics, Seungwoo Hong, Yong Um, Hae-Won Park and Jaejun Park describe robots and how it performed when tested in real-world conditions.

As the technology used to make robots improves, engineers find more ways to use them. In this new research, the team of experts decided to create a robot that can support the maintenance of large metal structures such as bridges, oil tanks and some buildings. They created a four-legged robot that can move on a flat surface, then approach a wall and climb straight up like a spider and then continue to crawl across the ceiling if necessary.

The robot uses both magnetoelastic materials and electromagnets. The design allows the robot foot to be magnetized and demagnetized as needed. Through this, the robot can place one leg in position on a vertical wall while the other leg is stuck, then release the leg to take each step. The team also programmed the robot to start climbing, then move around or overcome obstacles. To do so, they simulated the way cats take small steps with their front paws to test the surface and then use their hind paws.

Test results show that the robot can climb on metal walls and walk upside down on the ceiling in the laboratory. It can also climb onto old outdoor tanks with rusty surfaces. The new robot can carry goods weighing up to 3 kg and move at different speeds depending on the terrain with a maximum speed of 0.7 m/s.

An Khang (According to Phys.org)