Creepy, stealthy cockroaches inspire a search-and-rescue robot

Some things things in this world are creepier than robots. Cockroaches, for example. They are the virtually un-killable.

Now, naturally, they are inspiring a new kind of robot.

According to a study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, the cockroach is able to withstand extreme pressure — up to 900 times its body weight — and traverse spaces up to 60% smaller than its normal body size while still moving at shockingly high speeds (up to 20 times its body length per second). This allows the insect to appear in some of the most unlikely of places and generally creep us out. These characteristics also help the cockroach survive Read more...