Climbing up the wall

Robotic research at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand has climbed new heights with the development of a wall-climbing robot.

The robot has been developed by a team of researchers lead by Associate Professor XiaoQi Chen in the University’s Mechanical Engineering department.

The team is working on developing a range of mobile machines, including an underwater robot, an autonomous guided vehicle and a flying robot. The wall-climbing robot is the first of its projects to be developed to prototype stage.

Prof Chen said the robot, which took eight months to develop from concept to prototype stage, was unique in that it could climb on all surfaces.

'There are other wall-climbing robots being developed but they can only work on certain surfaces or in certain conditions. Our robot is more ubiquitous in terms of mobility. It can work on all kinds of surfaces — concrete, glass, wood, and on surfaces with cracks or gaps. It can also walk on ceilings,' he said.