The basic idea is to use three “coiled metal” strips (like those from a tape measure), driven by a few motors, that stitch / zip together to produce a statically-stable vertical lift — simple and elegant! The idea of a robot using the device is explicit in the patent, as is a backpack-mounted version for soldiers. Of course, we’ve already seen the Packbot using a Zippermast, but another inspection robot, the ODIS robot, has also been equipped with a Zippermast (pictured below left).