From mowing lawns and cleaning windows to lending a hand to astronauts aboard the International Space Station, robots are being designed to do an ever-expanding set of tasks. Now, Squishy Robotics, a Berkeley-based startup, has come up with squishy shape-shifting, sensory robots, with potential applications to provide critical information about disaster zones. The handy little bot, about two feet across, carries video cameras and electronic sensors within a ball-shaped lattice of rods and cables that cushion the sensitive gear from sharp blows — like smacking into the ground after falling from a great height. The robots are being developed for a number of tasks including remote monitoring and space exploration, but its primary applications are aimed at disaster response and situation awareness, which can save lives.
Engineers develop squishy robots designed to aid rescue in disaster areas
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