Surface-Climbing Solutions

A set of versatile technologies engineered by SRI allows robots to overcome vertical and other obstacles, offering a multidimensional extension to the normal reach of other devices and of human operators in performing sensitive tasks while minimizing risk and cost.

An SRI wall-climbing robot.

Electroadhesive wall-climbing robots

Magnetic-wheel MAGPIPE

Electroadhesive wall-climbing robots

(2007-present)    

As SRI’s robotics technologies reach for new heights, so does its latest generation of robots: wall-climbers powered by compliant electroadhesion, an electrically controllable adhesion technology.  

Wall-climbing robots scale vertical surfaces by virtue of electroadhesion, which involves inducing electrostatic charges on a wall substrate using a power supply connected to compliant pads situated on the moving robot. SRI has demonstrated robust clamping to common building materials including glass, wood, metal, concrete, etc. with clamping pressures in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 N per square cm of clamp (0.8 to 2.3 pounds per square inch).

Applications of wall-climbing robots—a DARPA-funded project—address an eclectic array of business, military, civilian, and consumer needs. For example, first responders could be provided with real-time and longer-term reconnaissance of buildings. They have military and  commercial applications in the inspection of bridges, containers, pipes and storage tanks, buildings, structural walls, ducts, aircraft and ship hulls, and transmission towers. Wall-climbing robots could also be operated for cleaning windows and for painting buildings, bridges, or aircrafts. In the future, SRI envisions the technology’s use for several human wall-climbing functions ranging from Special Forces operations to exterior building maintenance.

Learn more about SRI's electroadhesion technology and its applications. Watch SRI's wall-climbing robot in action on YouTube and see it climb a variety of vertical surfaces.

Magnetic-wheel MAGPIPE

(1994-present)   

Magnetic-wheel technology developed at SRI has proven to be of strategic value in adapting and miniaturizing off-the-shelf tools for infrastructure inspections in industrial, military, and commercial applications.

Designed for Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., SRI developed the Magnetically Attached General Purpose Inspection Engine, dubbed MAGPIPE, to inspect small natural-gas pipes for corrosion and leakage, reporting the data to the user via fiber optic cable. The robot’s patented magnetic wheels enable it to travel on the ceiling and sides of pipes, and to navigate obstacles such as T-joints, vertical climbs, and sleeve joints. Although the robot was originally designed for pipeline inspection, it can also be used to clean ship hulls, inspect and repair tanks, and inspect steel bridges. Unlike other magnetic wheels, SRI's wheels maintain their grip over rough surfaces and across edges and sharp transitions.

Learn more about SRI's magnetic wheels technology and watch the MAGPIPE in action.