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beast of burden
This tiny robot can drag objects thousands of times its own weight
Tiny, tiny robots. Tiny!
LUGGING YOUR SHOPPING to the car could be made a lot easier if you had one of these little critters.
Researchers at Stanford University in California have developed miniature robots that are capable of carrying objects thousands of times their own weight.
NewScientist reports that the engineers hope the devices could have applications on building sites or even for emergency services.
The tiny beasts of burden (and they really are tiny – one weighs just 9 grams) were built under a microscope. Their sticky feet, the key to their strength, is inspired by geckos.
The most impressive is the μTug. Weighing in at 12 grams, it can drag an object that is 2000 times its own weight.
In the video above, the robot can be seen dragging a weight slowly but surely across a surface.
Researcher David Christensen told NewScientist that this is ‘the same as a human pulling around a blue whale’.
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