A team of researchers at UC Berkley have created a mini-robot that mimics the strength and agility of the American cockroach. For instance, cockroaches can withstand 900 times their body weight without being crushed, and they can even squish their body down to a quarter of their normal size. The robot prototype CRAM (meaning compressible robot with articulated mechanisms) is about 20 times the size of a real cockroach, and was designed as a potential search-and-rescue robot.
Because the bots are tiny and virtually indestructible, it would be well-suited for post-disaster areas, collapsed buildings and so on. Although CRAM remains in the prototype stage, researchers are hopeful that these bots could eventually aid first responders.
SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Is the cockroach a practical source of inspiration in designing robotics? Have these researchers simply watched Ant-Man too many times?
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