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It’s been 30 years since beloved British duo Wallace and Gromit embarked on probably their most beloved adventure in ‘The Wrong Pants’.
In Nick Park’s classic 1993 stop motion film, Gromit receives a pair of ‘ex-NASA’ robotic techno pants from Wallace for his birthday.
They prove extremely useful when Gromit redecorates his bedroom, but cause trouble when they fall into the clutches of the evil penguin Feathers McGraw.
Although they’re consigned to the adorable duo’s fictional world for now, experts believe they could be built and possibly allow the wearer to walk on walls and even ceilings.
Dr Katie Raymer, a physicist and PhD at the University of Leicester, said a real-life couple would use powerful vacuum suction on the soles of their feet, just like in the film.
In the classic film, Gromit receives a pair of old NASA robotic ‘tech pants’ for his birthday from Wallace, which allow the wearer to walk on walls and even ceilings. The techno pants function as a pair of robotic legs that can be pre-programmed along a given route.
The researchers examined what suction is required to allow an adult man wearing the pants to walk across the roof without losing contact.
A secondary “adhesion” mechanism could be added by making the soles magnetic, giving the pants a backup when walking on metal.
“In the world of Wallace and Gromit, trousers are ‘ex-NASA,’” Dr Raymer, now policy adviser at the Royal Society of Chemistry, told MailOnline.
“We can assume that they can be used in space and therefore the magnets could have utility in this environment, since spacecraft are usually made of metal.”
As a physics student at the University of Leicester, Dr Raymer carried out a feasibility study on Wallace techno pantsalong with his colleagues.
For the vacuum generator in the sole to work, the team said there would need to be a slightly raised rubber insulator surrounding the boot.
This would create a cavity that has a lower pressure than the surroundings when vacuum is applied.
The vacuum generator in the pants boots, if powerful enough, would allow a level of suction that would allow people to turn upside down.
They concluded that the pants “are scientifically possible” but would have to be plugged into the mains or run for up to 20 minutes on a rechargeable battery.
In the film, Wallace describes the pants as “ex-NASA” as they were originally designed for use by astronauts in spacecraft repairs and other extravehicular activities. This detailed drawing from the Haynes Manual indicates vacuum tubes in the soles (30) of the pants.
The robotic legs can be pre-programmed to walk along a given route, operated by the user while inside them, or (after being cleverly adapted by the penguin) operated remotely.
“When we wrote the papers, we considered the vacuum and battery technology of the time,” Dr Raymer told MailOnline.
“So I expect the pants to work much better today with advances in batteries; the run time would be much longer than 20 minutes now.”
The team detailed their calculations in two documents for the university’s Journal of Physics Special Topics, which allows students to apply scientific thinking to fun topics.
However, they stopped short of attempting to build the iconic device, which appears to be made largely of painted steel, copper and rubber.
Other scientists have been inspired by tech pants to create versions that aim to help frail people walk without falling.
Because it could cost millions of pounds, building something real would have to have an equally worthy cause.
In the film, Wallace gives them to his trusted companion because they are “fantastic to walk on” and allow him to rest while his pet exercises.
In the film, Wallace gives Gromit the techno pants as a birthday present, imagining them as a dog-walking companion, but Gromit is unimpressed.
Soon after, Wallace finds himself at the center of Feathers McGraw’s dastardly plan, leading to his famous line: “They’re the wrong pants, Gromit, and they’re wrong!”
Gromit will have to deal with his owner’s latest technological innovation when the duo finally return to the screen in a year’s time.
When Wallace’s “intelligent gnome” develops a mind of his own, it will be up to his dog to “fight sinister forces and save his master,” Aardman explains in a preview.
A smart gnome is expected to be an internet-connected version of the lawn ornament, capable of thinking and moving autonomously.