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OF THE MANY things you would associate Disney with, robots might not be the first thing that would pop to mind (unless you’re thinking of droids), but it has developed one that can climb walls on its own.
Disney Research, along with ETH Zurich, have created a prototype robot called VertiGo that is capable of climbing wall without the need for modified wheels.
How it manages to do this is by using two steerable propellers that give it enough thrust to climb onto the wall.
The propellers act as traction for the robot by generating downward force – usually created by spoilers or other features on a car to help increase grip – which allow it to transition from ground to wall and back again without trouble.
When transitioning from ground to wall, the rear propeller uses thrust to propel it towards the wall while the front propeller pushes the robot up, resulting in a flip onto the wall.
It also means the surface it’s on, either the ground or wall, needs to be even for it to stick.
If a person wants to control it like a common RC car, an onboard computer is incorporated as a controller. The robot uses a 6-axis IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) as well as infrared distance sensors mounted in front of it to estimate its orientation and decide the best positions for it.
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Wall Disney.
I have one of them…it’s called a ladder.
When you see people arguing over which sky God is real from a time when people thought the world is flat, it makes me smile with some hope for humanity when I marvel at the winder of science and human ingenuity.
And would you believe there are scientists who are religious believers too…
Without God we wouldn’t have these people on earth to invent in the first place.
Giz a go
Want
I’m glad to see this gadget finally get off the ground
Not sure if it’s progress, Mickey Mouse could do this for Disney nearly 90 years ago.
This sort of thing drives me up the wall
why
I winder meself
If it can carry a bomb, “there may be trouble ahead!” As I quickstep away into the shelter!
Winder of opportunity?
have your say