Crablike robot walks on walls, ceilings with magnet feet

Published December 20, 2013 | By Tim Hornyak

Thankfully, BIREM won’t be showing up on your walls anytime soon.

(Credit: Osaka City University)

Here’s what we all long to see — a robot crawling along the ceiling.

That may or may not give you goosebumps. But if you’re an engineer, a magnetic wall-crawler developed at Osaka City University in Japan could prove useful when inspecting bridges and other structures.

The awkwardly named Bridge Inspection Robot Equipping Magnets (BIREM) can move as fast as 7.8 inches per second. Imagine that skittering up your wall.

Operated by remote control, BIREM moves on four wheels, each with eight spokes that are capped with powerful magnets.

Its flexible body allows the crab-inspired bot to bend at the middle so it can transition from… [Read more]

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