Weighing up to 12 g, the μTug can pull up to 2,000 times its own weight, that’s 53 lbs. For perspective, that’s equivalent to the average human being lugging around a blue whale.
Inspired by geckos, the μTug is slightly larger than an ant.
Like its inspiration, the microbot uses a controllable adhesive to latch on to surfaces.
Making use of its super-sticky pads, the μTug hunkers down with one pad and pulls with the other, dragging tethered objects between bursts of movement.
The Ground μTug adopts a set of rubber wheels to accelerate horizontal movement.
Moving like an inchworm, the climbing variant μTug ascends vertical surfaces like glass with its anisotropic adhesive coated pads.
This version of the robot weighs in at 9 g and is able to lift up to 100 times its weight.
Engineers hope, when scaled up, the technology behind the robots can be put to use in factory or construction settings, hauling heavy objects.
Uses in emergency scenarios are also plausible, moving heavy debris from collapsed structures.
Designed by mechanical engineers at Stanford University’s Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Lab, the tiniest robot in the collection weighs only 20 mg, hoisting up to 500 mg.
What other applications can you see for this technology? Let us know in the comments.
Learn more about the world's strongest microbots in the video above, or visit Stanford’s page.