Meet Marvel the Robodog With Four Magnetized Feet That Can Climb Greater Heights

The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has created a small, four-legged robot called MARVEL (Magnetically Adhesive Robot for Versatile and Expeditious Locomotion) that can climb up iron and steel walls and ceilings. The robot, which weighs about 18 pounds and is about 13 inches long, can be used for repair work on bridges, industrial tanks, and buildings.

It is capable of moving vertically and even upside down on metal structures. This technology is both impressive and somewhat disturbing, as robodogs often evoke both cute and frightening associations. The study linked to the robodog was published in the scientific journal, Science Robotics.

The robot, which is inspired by Spider-Man from the Marvel Comics series, uses electromagnets and magnetic elastomers to move. These materials are made of a rubber-like substance that is mixed with magnetic particles, which allows the robot to cling to metal surfaces using magnetism.

Conquering Greater Heights

By turning the magnetism on and off, the robot can hold onto a vertical point on the wall with one foot while the other legs move, allowing it to climb up walls and ceilings. This technology could potentially be used for a variety of purposes, such as repair work on bridges, industrial tanks, and buildings, as explained by a report from Yahoo!

The ability of the robot to use its feet to climb up walls and ceilings is a key feature that makes it useful for a variety of purposes, especially in industrial environments where it can be used to inspect structures at high heights that would be dangerous for humans to access. The robot's creators believe that it has the potential to be used for inspecting ships, and buildings, among other structures. In addition to its climbing abilities, the robot is also fast, as it was able to climb up a curved storage tank at a maximum speed of just over one foot per second during testing. It was able to avoid protrusions and step over obstacles, such as gaps, as it moved.

On easier surfaces like flat walls and ceilings, the robot was able to climb at faster speeds, reaching up to 1.6 feet per second on flat walls and over 2 feet per second on ceilings. The researchers who developed the robot have noted that these speeds demonstrate the fastest vertical and inverted walking speeds achieved by climbing robots so far. However, the robot still has some limitations and is not yet able to consistently tackle irregular or steeply curved surfaces. Despite this, the fact that it was able to climb a curved surface at all is a significant achievement in itself.

(Photo : Seungwoo Hong et al., Science Robotics)
Four-legged robot MARVEL. A Korean company introduces MARVEL, a robodog that climbs greater heights assisting human work in the future.

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Using Electromagnets

The robot weighs about 8 kilograms and can carry a payload of 2-3 kilograms. It is designed to operate without a tether and uses electromagnets and magnetic elastomers in its feet to enable it to move and cling to metal surfaces. The electromagnets, also known as electro-permanent magnets (EPMs), can be turned on or off electronically and consist of a permanent magnet and a soft core that can be magnetized by a surrounding coil.

According to Hackaday, magnetorheological elastomers are polymers that contain ferromagnetic particles that can alter the material's properties in response to a magnetic field. By turning the electromagnets on and off and using the magnetic properties of the elastomers, the robot can move and cling to metal surfaces as it climbs. The use of electro-permanent magnets (EPMs) in the robot's feet is beneficial in this application because they can be turned on or off with a brief pulse, which helps to conserve energy.

This is important if the robot needs to remain attached to a surface for an extended period, as it allows it to hang on to the ceiling indefinitely without draining its batteries. Overall, the robot is an interesting and innovative design, as it can climb up walls and ceilings and can cling to surfaces using electromagnets and magnetic elastomers. Most wall-climbing robots are relatively lightweight so it is relatively rare to see a robot that can have the feeling of clinging to the ceiling as this one can.