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Giant robot helps prevent landslides

12 January 2005

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The 3800 kg Roboclimber robot can secure slopes without endangering human lives, thanks to innovations from Europe's space programmes. It was tested in the beautiful valley of Alta Val Torre, 25 km north of Udine in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy.

Credits: D'Appolonia / Roboclimber / ESA

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A view of the landslide that hit the village of Romagnano, near Trento, northern Italy, Tuesday Nov. 21, 2000. Heavy rains often cause landslides in susceptible areas of the country, causing property damage and sometimes fatalities.

Credits: AP Photo / Gianfranco Bernardinatti

Roboclimber passes its test

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Roboclimber was positioned on the mountain wall and held in place by two wires fixed at the top of the wall

Credits: D'Appolonia / Roboclimber

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Roboclimber, this new climbing machine is designed to prevent landslides without endangering human lives. Expertise from manoeuvring satellites into correct orbit has been used to develop the Roboclimber, which is remotely controlled by a system originally built for ESA to control space robots and a robotic satellite arm.

Credits: D'Appolonia / Roboclimber

Reduce human risk and save money

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Stabilising risky slopes is today done manually using scaffolding which first has to be constructed. Roboclimber could reduce the cost of slope consolidation by an estimated 30% on large interventions and by up to 80% on small consolidations.

Credits: TEVE sas di Roberto Zannini & co

Using space technology

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The Roboclimber robot can secure slopes without endangering human lives. It has been constructed using expertise and technology from Europe's space programmes. Weighing 3800 kg, with four legs and with a square base of 2 metres by 2.5 metres, Roboclimber is one of the largest robots in the world, yet still very agile and easily controllable. The on-board control system includes algorithms based upon ESA advanced methodology for controlling satellites in space.

Credits: D'Appolonia / Roboclimber

More information

Roboclimber consortium Space robot will help prevent landslides