AWARD YEAR
2017
CATEGORY
Work
GOALS
Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
KEYWORDS
Robotic technology, Construction, Emergency use
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
David Christensen and Elliot Hawkes
WEBSITE
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32495269
MicroTugs
Miniature robots that can carry up to 2,000 times their weight while climbing.
MicroTugs - have power equivalent to a human dragging a blue whale.
The scientists behind the MicroTugs took inspiration from nature, borrowing techniques used by geckos and ants in their design.
The robots could be used in factories or on building sites.
The team at Stanford, including PhD students David Christensen and Elliot Hawkes, demonstrated a 9g robot that can carry more than 1kg vertically up glass. This is equivalent to a human climbing a skyscraper while carrying an elephant.