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Electric utilities that have trouble finding qualified linemen may, in the not-too-distant future, be able to use miniaturized, line-crawling robots to do some of the work. In this latest installment of his smart grid Discovery Showcase series, Smart Grid News founding editor Jesse Berst brings us the story of a technology breakthrough that allows tiny robots to apply huge amounts of force... and, therefore, to tackle all sorts of new tasks. But beyond revolutionizing the smart grid, could it be a way for developed countries to reverse the flow of manufacturing facilities to low-cost nations? Itron has been using robotics to make smart meters in the U.S. for several years now.

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