{"id":55921,"date":"2025-05-02T06:12:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T10:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/?p=55921"},"modified":"2025-05-01T02:50:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T06:50:33","slug":"robot-cable-car-defies-gravity-soft-machine-climbs-steep-wires-while-carrying-loads-12-times-its-own-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/2025\/05\/robot-cable-car-defies-gravity-soft-machine-climbs-steep-wires-while-carrying-loads-12-times-its-own-weight\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cRobot Cable Car Defies Gravity\u201d: Soft Machine Climbs Steep Wires While Carrying Loads 12 Times Its Own Weight"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\n\n
IN A NUTSHELL<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
    \n
  • \ud83d\ude80 Engineers at North Carolina State University have developed a groundbreaking soft robot<\/strong> that maneuvers along aerial cables.<\/li>\n
  • \ud83d\udd26 Powered by infrared light<\/strong>, the robot can carry loads more than twelve times its own weight and climb steep slopes.<\/li>\n
  • \ud83d\udd04 The device uses a twisted liquid-crystal elastomer<\/strong> to achieve continuous screw-like rotation without batteries or motors.<\/li>\n
  • \ud83c\udf10 Potential applications include power-line inspection, agricultural monitoring, and disaster relief, with ongoing research into alternative energy sources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

    In a groundbreaking development, engineers at North Carolina State University have introduced an innovative type of soft robot that has the potential to revolutionize aerial cable inspection and other applications. This remarkable device, a twisted elastomer ring, maneuvers along cables with the agility of a microscopic tram, carrying loads over a dozen times its weight and climbing nearly vertical slopes. This advancement signifies a major leap forward in the capabilities of soft robotics, expanding their applicability beyond terrestrial and aquatic environments to the aerial domain.<\/p>\n

    Twisted Ribbon Becomes a Self-Rolling Ring<\/h2>\n

    The core of this soft robot’s design lies in its unique construction. Starting as a 0.16-inch-wide strip of liquid-crystal elastomer, the material is twisted into a helical spring and formed into a seamless loop. By wrapping this loop around a cable, the device is positioned to hang at the same angle as the wire. When exposed to an infrared (IR) light source, one side of the ribbon absorbs heat and contracts, causing the entire loop to rotate in a screw-like motion.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt Glides Like a Ghost\u201d: New Flying Squirrel Drone With Foldable Wings Redefines Stealth Surveillance<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n