Robots stuck behind moats — and my three-year-old nephews — will be excited about a grappling hook designed by Tokyo Institute of Technology roboticist exhibited at the Conference on Field and Service Robotics at MIT. Technology Review takes a look at the superhero-inspired tech:
Hirose says he was inspired by Batman’s grappling hook and the way Spiderman stays in constant motion using a repetitive tether-and-swing action.
After modeling several different designs he settled on a pneumatic hook with a controlled launching winch and a braking spool to avoid tangling the rope. Once launched, the hook rotates because of its center of gravity and grips whatever’s beneath it.
Hirose has tested prototypes on the wheeled Helios-VI robot, and plans to let a robot use two or three of the grappling systems to work its way up over rough terrain by continually launching.
Posted by Brendan Lynch
Tags: Batman, Conference on Field and Service Robotics, grappling hooks, MIT, Shigeo Hirose, Spider-Man, Tokyo Institute of Technology
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