Controllable Dry Adhesive for Efficient Climbing Robot

A small robot with the ability to hoist large loads could have countless applications, not only as a small, inexpensive, disposable, mobile sensor in the realms of search and rescue, surveillance, and environmental monitoring, but also as an actor that could alter its environment. Instead of observing an event, a tiny robot that can produce huge forces could affect the event. It could (possibly in a team) carry a rope ladder to a person trapped in a burning building, or carry equipment and fix the crack it discovers in a dam or bridge.