Robot Lizard Searches and Rescues, is a bit scary

Georgia Tech has been developing a Lizard Robot that can bury itself under the sand (or a sand analogue) and navigate its way into hard to reach places. Very much like a sandfish, the robot is covered by a smooth skin (made out of sexy spandex) and can freely move its (aluminium) body segments in order to bury itself deep under the sand. Unlike the lovely lizard, the robot's goal is not to escape the desert heat by seeking the freshness of the deeper soil. Its main task will be to rescue disaster survivors by wiggling itself into the rubble and searching for them. Once the target is found they are programmed to stay nearby and tell humans rescuers where to dig. In the video below (courtesy of New Scientist), the similarities between the robot and its animal counterpart are very nicely depicted. It is possible to see that the robot is not as swift as the sandfish...yet. The Gerorgia Tech researchers reassure us that they are going to improve the the sign in order to make it faster, and more flexible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwoz4WbXxdI We are looking forward to hear more about the project at the upcoming 2010 Robotics: Science and Systems conference in Zaragoza (Spain). Via Artificial Intelligence and Robotics