We're Deeply Alarmed By This Robodog That Can Climb Up Walls

Your audio article is ready to load.

There isn't a lot of tech out there that is both cute and terrifying. They are now capable of climbing walls like giant bugs.

You heard that. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has created a four-legged robot that can climb up walls and ceilings. It's called MARVEL and it only weighs about 18 pounds and isn't any bigger than a small puppy.

MARVEL is not the first robot that can climb walls, but it is the only one that uses magnetic legs.

It's also dexterous, its designers say, because of its innovative feet that use magnets and a rubber-like smart material known as magnetorheological elastomers.

Up and Up

The ability to inspect bridges, ships, and buildings with its feet will be a key selling point of the robot, as its creators uphold its potential to be used in industrial environments to inspect bridges, ships, and buildings.

It is also fast. MARVEL was able to climb up a curved storage tank at a maximum speed of just over one foot per second, avoiding obstacles and stepping over four inch gaps.

The robot climbed as fast as 1.6 feet per second and over two feet per second on flatter surfaces. That shows the fastest vertical and inverted walking speed of climbing robots so far.

It has a ways to go before it can tackle irregular or steeply curved surfaces. It is already an achievement of its own to get MARVEL this far.

Boston Dynamics sued a competitor that put a gun on its robot.