Gecko-inspired Robot Climbs Straight Up Walls

Posted on November 4, 2011

Researchers from Simon Fraser University created this little robot that can climb up smooth walls. The 240 gram robot is called the Timeless Belt Climbing Platform (TBCP-II). The robot has 2 parts connected by a central joint. The feet on the tank are made out of made out of fibrillar adhesive polydimethylsiloxane and contain very small mushroom cap shapes that are 17 micrometres wide and 10 micrometres high. The researchers believe their gecko-inspired bot could be useful for tasks like inspecting pipes, buildings and nuclear power plants. Take a look:


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