Disney Research designs robotic vehicle that can drive vertically on walls

The secret of VertiGo’s ability to drive on walls lies in the dual propellers that produce enough thrust to cling to vertical surfaces. (All images and video via Disney Research)

Disney is widely known for their popular animated movies, however some might not know that they have a research department that’s involved with developing any number of new technologies, including robotics. Their latest creation- a robotic vehicle, is capable of not only driving on horizontal surfaces but vertical ones as well! Think of Disney’s VertiGo as a souped-up RC car crossbred with a drone and you get the idea.

Partnered with tech university ETH (Zurich), Disney set out to create a robotic platform that could easily transition from urban to indoor environments while traversing any obstacles in its path- including walls. In order to accomplish this, the vehicle needed to be as light as possible and was therefore created using 3D printed parts along with a carbon-fiber baseplate for the frame and carbon rods for the vehicles chassis, wheel suspension and even the wheels themselves.

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Disney Research designs robotic vehicle that can drive vertically on walls

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For VertiGo’s drone DNA, Disney equipped the vehicle with two ‘thruster modules’, better known as propellers, which provide forward and backward momentum as well for the much needed thrust that enables it to drive on vertical surfaces. Integrated servomotors allow the propellers to function independently from one another. This is the key that allows the VertiGo to maintain orientation while transitioning from the horizontal to the vertical as well as the ability to cling to walls like Spiderman.

Driving on walls is accomplished by using independent thrust angle from each propeller- one facing upward and the other angled slightly forward.

The vehicle is comprised of eight individually controlled actuators, which are controlled by an onboard computer that takes data from a 6-axis IMU as well as a pair of IR distance sensors to garner spatial orientation. The computer then uses this info to provide the best possible angle for the propellers to provide the necessary thrust needed to maintain stability on vertical surfaces. In fact, it’s theoretically possible for VertiGo to drive on ceilings as well, provided it achieves enough thrust.

Disney has yet to release any information on when or even if VertiGo will become a real-world product available for the public but we can keep our fingers crossed that at some point, a full-scale human-sized model will come into fruition sometime in the near future.

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