Engineers in Japan have invented a robot that can scale walls, inspect aging bridges, and do the crab-walk.
The multifaceted magnetic bridge bots can scurry faster than you can say their name, Bridge Inspection Robot Equipping Magnets(BIREM), at a rapid pace of 7.8 inches per second.
The robots were developed by engineers at the Osaka City University in Japan and the team is led by engineering professor Yogo Takada.
The robots will improve the method of bridge inspection with advanced technology and create less margin for human error.
CNET reports that the robots are operated by remote control. They move on four wheels each of which have eight spokes with extremely powerful magnets that can tightly grip surfaces.
Engadget reports that the robots have a flexible mid section which allows them to move over uneven structures with ease.
Wall climbing robots are not a new invention, but the previous prototypes used suction cups as oppose to magnets.
Not only do the robots have magnets, they have sensors and cameras that they can use to gather information about their environment.
CNET reports that the robots can locate cracks on bridges and other steel structures.
Takada along with his team will work more on the robot and Japanese manufacturers will probably manufacture it in three years.
The trend has already caught on in the United States. Carnegie Mellon News reported that Obama launched the National Robotics Initiative this November and that he donated $7 million dollars to Carnegie Mellon researchers so that they could create robots to help humans do their jobs better.
CNET reports that a similar robot to BIREM, named the Skysweeper, was created in San Diego to inspect power lines.
The Skysweeper costs $1,000 and is inexpensive compared to older, larger robots and was created via 3D printing.
As technology advances, helper robots, once seen as a caricature of the future, may become more and more a part of everyday life.