Will rescue teams in earthquake areas be supported by robots soon? Image source: Shutterstock (#571390522)
Researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, have developed a strange yet innovative soft robot that pumps itself up with air, and can quickly grow and extend in length up to 236 feet as a result.
The technology has many advantages. The robot can manipulate itself to be able to lift 100-kilo objects, navigate through spaces just 10 percent in size of its own diameter, or transform into a structure for sending a radio signal. All this works with image recognition technology through a camera at the robot’s tip.
In the future, the researchers hope to deploy the robot to rescue trapped survivors in debris, or even build it small enough to aid surgery as it grows through blood vessels.
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