Researchers Xin Li and Kaige Shi developed a novel vaccuum suction unit capable of gripping rough, uneven surfaces. Until recently, if you wanted to suction-cup your way up a wall it’d have to be made of glass, slick marble, or some other unbroken surface. Standard vaccuum devices rely on an unbroken seal between the atmosphere and the gadget’s inner-vaccuum in order to maintain suction. Credit: Xi, Li Per the duo’s research paper: The researchers employed what they refer to as the “ZPD method” to overcome the normal vaccuum leakage that prevents these devices from working on rough surfaces. According to their research: In essence, they squirt water towards the edges of the device’s suction cups in order to maintain an even seal in the middle. The result is a water-powered wall-climbing device that’s much more efficient than a pump-operated one: The obvious implications for this device include wall-climbing robots to perform dangerous cleaning, construction, and rescue missions. According to an article on Phys.org, the researchers are working on making the device a fully self-contained unit capable of operating on its own:
