For contractors and engineers, one thing that left them struggling was inspecting vertical structures, from tall buildings to bridges and wind turbines. 

Inspecting high-rise structures is often hazardous for the worker, despite taking all the necessary precautions, not to mention time-consuming.

A wall-climbing robot, HB2, is helping engineers reach and inspect hard-to-reach vertical structures. Developed by UK-based HausBots and deployed by Chicago-based engineering consulting firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, to help inspect areas that previously needed lifts, scaffolding, and roped crews. 

Small wall-climbing robots have a compact yet fully functional design. They carry cameras, sensors, communication systems, information processing systems, and an in-built power source. A proper adhesion mechanism is very important for these robots, so that they can move on flat and curved vertical surfaces. 

Similar wall-climbing robots are being launched in China to help with large infrastructure construction projects.

HB2 measures 29 inches and can carry 6kg of equipment weight and move across surfaces and over obstacles such as wires and bolts. It has a joystick-controlled camera and uses a mix of airflow technology and suction. The wall-climbing uses a fan to make downforce, so it can even move on uneven surfaces. 

A major concern for construction firms offering structural assessment is bad weather conditions. When it gets too windy, humans cannot even travel on a lift.

Mohammed El Batanouny, the WJE Associate Principal and Unit Manager, “Conditions that aren’t safe for humans are safe for the robot.”

The first time WJE used HB2 was in June 2024 on the piers of the Chicago Skyway, an almost 70-year-old tollway on the city’s southside. The robot successfully carried a half-cell potential measurement test and MIRA ultrasonic shear wave tomography test up the 160-ft length.

The company formally introduced HB2 in late 2025.

Manual structural climbing is becoming obsolete as future-first wall-climbing robots are moving from being prototypes available in a laboratory setting to the job site. They are offering a faster turnaround, improving site safety, and providing clients with accurate data.