Ants are often credited for their hard work and strength, in part because they can transport extremely heavy loads with respect to their size. Modeled after these insects, researchers from Stanford University have developed six MicroTug robots capable of towing a two-ton vehicle, despite weighing only 3.5 ounces in total. (To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent of six humans lugging the Eiffel Tower and three Statues of Liberty.)
Not only was the project inspired by nature, the idea is reminiscent to the swarms of microrobots featured in the animated film “Big Hero 6.” Aside from mere coordination, the other secret behind this impressive accomplishment is a special kind of sticky adhesive on the robots’ feet, engineered to resemble those of gecko lizards. This enables them to support large amounts of weight yet detach easily. Interestingly enough, the researchers found that the ants are able to generate more cooperative force if each use only three of their six legs simultaneously.
“By considering the dynamics of the team, not just the individual, we are able to build a team of our ‘microTug’ robots that, like ants, are superstrong individually, but then also work together as a team,” grad student David Christensen told The New York Times.
Intrigued? You can see them in action below, or check out the researchers’ published paper here.