A new commercial robot that is able to climb walls could improve workplace safety by carrying out inspections and potentially hazardous tasks such as painting at height.
The HB1 robot has been built by Birmingham-based robotics company HausBots.
The firm’s stated mission is to “protect and maintain the built environment”.
The company says that 85,000 workers fall from a height every year in the UK and US combined, with 700 losing their lives.
Co-founders Jack Cornes and Harry Smith said that they started out after learning about those statistics and built their first prototypes in Harry’s parents’ garage.
Now, they have a commercially available robot entering the marketplace and have just sold a unit to a company in Singapore.
Cornes said that they hoped that it was the first of many that could help to reduce the number of workplace accidents.
The robot was developed with help from Warwick University’s WMG SME team, which works with start-ups to solve manufacturing challenges in the UK.
When the company’s cofounders built those first prototypes, the university team helped to get them ready for production and worked on the circuit motor controls.
Robot’s ‘sticking power’ was rigorously tested
They also helped test the technology, particularly the robot’s ability to stay attached to the surface it is climbing.
HB1 uses fans to create 42kg of suction force to keep the wheeled robot firmly attached to the wall or other surfaces such as curved columns.
It can also climb on rough surfaces and pass obstacles such as wires and bolts.
The WMG SME team carried out extensive electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) testing.
This involved assessing its response to noise and recording any unwanted emissions and interference within the machine itself.
The robot has been deployed on Birmingham’s infamous Spaghetti Junction, where it has successfully carried out tasks including painting and cleaning graffiti.
Each unit can carry a payload of up to 6kg, which could include a spray for painting, a brush, a robotic arm, or surveying equipment.
One of the primary uses envisaged for the robot is carrying out building and infrastructure surveys of varying kinds.
The robot can use an on-board camera to capture close-up visual images in HD, as well as more specialist attachments such as concrete cover surveying equipment.
Cornes said that HausBots hoped to collaborate again with the university team to create more robots that “can reduce harm to humans”.
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