Designed by Birmingham-based firm HausBots, the robot can climb vertical surfaces with ease and after several years of prototyping, it has now been released as a commercial product.
In the US, 85,000 workers fall from heights every year, killing around 700 of them and costing insurance companies over $1bn in claims.
To ensure the robot itself doesn’t fall it had to undergo extensive electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) testing to make sure the fans, which essentially attach it to the surface function correctly.
The WMG team at the University of Warwick, which helped develop the robots, tested it by placing it in the EMC chamber and assessing how it responds to noise and to make sure it does not emit any unwanted noise itself.
Using amplifiers to simulate noise and analysers, the researchers were able to detect any unwanted interference and emissions with the robot.
The University of Warwick’s Dr David Norman said: “It has been a pleasure to be with HausBots...