A robot inspired by a gecko has shown that it can climb even smooth walls, as well as navigate past tricky corners.

The robot, known as the Timeless Belt Climbing Platform (TBCP-II), scales walls by using dry but sticky pads that copy the way a gecko climbs. The robot’s tracks are covered in tiny fibres of a material called polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The fibres end in a cap like a mushroom, which helps to increase the surface area when it comes into contact with the wall.

Weak electrical attractions known as van der Waals forces help the material to be sticky. Although the force is weak, thousands of fibres acting together make the robot cling powerfully to walls.

Many scientists are researching climbing robots, but some think that these tank-style ones are the way forward. They are said to be simpler, more mobile and easier to expand, like adding carriages on to a train.

See below for a video of the robot filmed for the report in Smart Materials and Structures.