Senior Mechanical Engineer Harsha Prahlad, Ph.D. will show off SRI's electroadhesion technology at the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Pasadena, CA this Friday (May 23). The clamping action uses an electrostatic charge distributed on a compliant surface. It requires little power, can be switched on and off quickly, works on a wide variety of surfaces, and even works on surfaces covered with a layer of dust. Obvious applications for electro-adhesion are gravity-defying robots using pads, tank tracks, or snake-like bodies for traction and motion. These robots could ultimately clean windows on high-rises, perform heroic rescue missions, and inspect the underside of bridges.