News Summary

• A researcher at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) wants to send robots inspired by bats on these missions instead of humans.
• Nitin J. Sanket, a professor at WPI, has developed small flying robots that fit in the palm of a hand and use ultrasound — just like bats.
• These robots use AI-powered software to filter out noise from the ultrasound signals the devices collect, allowing them to spot obstacles within a two-meter radius.
• For the search and rescue robots, the main challenge was building something with the necessary sensors and flying technology without making the robot too large, expensive, or energy intensive.