New machine allows soldiers to hurdle buildings

LONDON (Reuters) - A device that allows people to scale tall buildings in if not a single, then at least two bounds, has been developed for the U.S. military. The PowerQuick personal lifting device can raise or lower a load of up to 145 kg (320 lb) at the rate of one meter (yard) per second, enabling special forces, rescue services or even construction workers to quickly ascend or escape buildings.

New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday the operator would shoot a rope attached to a grappling hook to the top of the building and then attach the rope to a harness-like device which hauls them up.
It said one battery charge would be sufficient to climb 250 metres -- the equivalent of five times the height of the Statue of Liberty.

Quoin International, the Nevada-based company that developed the device for the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said on its Web site the solid fuel military version was designed for hostage rescue and urban warfare. However, the battery-powered civilian version had been designed with commercial applications such as building repair, logging or window washing in mind.