Size Doesn't Matter

Tiny robots that have been developed at Stanford University were designed to pull objects up to 2,000 times their own weight.

12:47 29 April 2015

Inventors at Stanford University have developed miniature robots, called MicroTugs, that can pull objects that are 2,000 times their own weight – a power that is equivalent to a human dragging a blue whale. 

 

Based on the details released on their website, scientists said that they took inspiration from nature, borrowing techniques used by geckos and ants in their design. With their abilities, the robots could be used in building sites or factories. 

 

One of the inventors, PhD student David Christensen, said: "The hardest part in the development of these guys was coming to the realization that this was possible.” 

 

Referring to the robots sticky feet, he added: "When we stepped back and thought about it, this was actually a really great use for our adhesives, with its tiny contact force required, and ability to engage and disengage many times a second.” 

 

The next step, he said, would be about "looking at ways to make multiples of them work together as a team, and scaling the technology up to larger bots with more industrial parts and a whole lot more force".