蜜芽传媒

Move over Ant-Man - could Robo-Insect become the world's smallest super-hero?

Scientists in California have created the stuff of sci-fi with incredibly agile insect-like robots that could potentially help in search and rescue missions. The machines are small and manoeuvrable enough to access the most restricted spaces, but robust enough for someone to stamp on them without breaking them.

But could it also become the world's smallest and most difficult-to-spot spy?

Liwei Lin is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. He heads the team that have created the machines in collaboration with several universities in China.

"Potentially you can sneak into very tiny holes and go into different floors... We actually already put in a gas sensor... Potentially we can put in a camera and a wireless navigation system so we can control the navigation and control the location."

(Photo: The robo-insect in action. Credit: UC Berkeley photo courtesy of Jiaming Liang & Liwei Lin)

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