Roach Robots to the Rescue
When buildings collapse, it is extremely difficult to safely locate and rescue people
trapped inside. Victims may be wedged into small spaces, and unstable rubble could
collapse on rescue workers. An alternative to human rescue workers may be robotic
cockroaches. Real cockroaches are protected by strong yet flexible exoskeletons. They
can also flatten their bodies through tiny cracks. A robotics researcher from Harvard
University and a biomechanics expert from the University of California, Berkeley, were
inspired to create mini robots that have the same features. The roach robots can squeeze
through small spaces and skitter over unstable environments. Fitted with cameras and
microphones, they could be used in disasters to locate victims.
What is the main idea of the passage?
Inspired by the strength and quickness of cockroaches, researchers created
robots with the same characteristics.
Cockroach-like robots can fit through small cracks and move through unstable
rubble.
It is dangerous to search inside collapsed buildings, but cockroach-like robots
can go places where human searchers can't or shouldn't.