Tufts U. to Develop Bionic Caterpillars
Tufts University has received a $3.3 millon DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) grant to develop squeezable bionic caterpillars. The bots will be able to enter 1 cm spaces, then expand to a size 10 times larger. They are also bio-degradable. The research team will be programming the robotic insects to move in confined spaces, climb trees or buildings, and follow ropes or cables. Applications will include landmine detection, search and rescue, and perhaps even carrying smaller versions of themselves for tinier areas. For that kind of money, we figure they will learn to become robotic butterflies.
Via Tufts e-news
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Posted by Sheila Franklin at July 8, 2008 9:04 AM
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