A Team of Six Tiny Robots Work Together Like Ants to Pull a Two-Ton Car

A team of six µTug Microrobots weighing a collective 100g work together like ants to pull a 3,900lb car in a video by the Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Lab at Stanford University. The robots work slowly, but by using an adhesive pad inspired by geckos and a simple winch system they can move objects up to 2,000 times its their own weight.

Not only are ants impressively strong, they are also amazing team players. This research inspired by such teamwork examples how the ways that microrobots move effects their ability to work in teams. With careful consideration to robot gait, we demonstrate a team of 6 super strong microTug microrobots weighing 100 grams pulling the author’s unmodified 3900lb (1800kg) car on polished concrete.

The robots were the subject of a paper published in the journal IEEE Explore.

via The New York Times