In a collaboration between the team of researchers at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a quadruped robot was developed that has the ability to climb on metallic walls and other structures using its magnetised feet. The dog is 18 pounds in weight and is 13 inches long in height.
Science Robots published the findings of the team in their journal and the dog name here was revealed to be MARVEL which stands for Magnetically Adhesive Robot for Versatile and Expeditious Locomotion. The aim of this project was to manufacture a robot that could support maintenance work on mental structures. As per the researchers, the structures could include ceilings, walls, flat surfaces and bridges.
In the testing phase, it was shown that the four-legged bot was able to climb metal walls, walk across ceilings and on rusted outdoor storage tanks as well. It was also reported by the team that the dog also works around areas that lack metal and support payloads that are upto 3kg with the maximum speed being 0.7 metre per second. It was pointed out by Futurism that MARVEL can climb up to 1.6 and 2 feet per second even if the surface is a storage tank coated in 0.3 millimetre thick paint underneath both dust and rust.
The paws can magnetise and demagnetise itself by leveraging magnetic elastomers and electro magnets. The robot can also make use of only one foot to stay intact in a position while the other feet above ground remain still. In order to teach movement to the machine, simulations on the basis of how cats use a surface ahead of them to move was used. It was also used to make them navigate obstacles. It seems like animals are the new inspiration for researchers and developers to manufacture their robots.
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