Today in TechWall-scaling technology could make Spider-Men out of soldiers
The U.S. military continues to develop new technologies to be used in the field, including Iron Man-like augmented reality glasses. This time, the Air Force challenged researchers all over the country to find a way to climb vertical walls without the use of a grappling hook. Ascending Aggies — a team of researchers from Utah State University — came up with an answer in the form of system that uses vacuums and suction pads.
Called the Personal Vacuum Assisted Climber (PVAC), the system looks like a couple of rectangular pads connected to a vacuum pack attached to the back of a climber. It can be used on most surfaces, including rock and glass, giving the user almost Spider-Man-like climbing skills.
PVAC won this year's Design Challenge by the Air Force Research Laboratory, netting the Ascending Aggies a $100,000 grant. According to project leader, Dr. Steve Hansen, the money will be used to tweak PVAC so it can work quietly and be used for stealth operations — if you watch the video above, you can hear that it emits a loud whirring noise. The team also wants to make it more efficient and to minimize its weight.
This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca
More from Tecca:
