[Tyler]

Electro-Adhesion for Wall Climbing Robots
     

Senior Mechanical Engineer Harsha Prahlad,
Ph.D. will show off SRI's
electroadhesion
technology at the 2008 IEEE International Conference
on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
in Pasadena, CA this Friday (May 23).
The clamping action uses an electrostatic charge distributed on
a compliant surface.
It requires little power, can be switched on and off quickly, works
on a wide variety of surfaces, and even works on
surfaces covered with a layer of dust.
Obvious applications for electro-adhesion are gravity-defying robots
using pads, tank tracks, or snake-like bodies for traction and
motion.  These robots could ultimately clean windows on high-rises,
perform heroic rescue missions, and inspect the underside of bridges.
   

http://robots.net/article/2542.html