Cockroach-inspired robots can squeeze through cracks

Inspired by cockroaches that can squeeze through tiny spaces, US scientists have designed a small robot that may one day help locate people in the rubble of earthquakes, tornadoes or explosions. The technology by the University of California, Berkeley was unveiled Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "What's impressive about these cockroaches is that they can run as fast through a quarter-inch (0.6 centimeter) gap as a half-inch (1.25 cm) gap, by reorienting their legs