Watch | Cockroach inspired robots
When buildings collapse in future disasters, the hero helping trapped people may be a robotic cockroach. Repulsive as they may be, roaches can squish their bodies down to one-quarter their normal size, yet still crawl at lightning speed. Also, they can withstand 900 times their body weight without being hurt. These mini-robots will mimic those feats of strength and agility. They could be fitted with cameras, microphones and other sensors and then used in earthquakes and other disasters to help search for victims.