Some researchers over at the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania and California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory are developing a new way to map out building interiors quickly and accurately; by using tiny, swarming robots. Similar to the concept of the Jollbots used for exploring Mars, by having many tiny robots, more areas can be covered at the same time, while the robots would also be able to get into hard to reach places.
The robots will be palm-sized, and will be equipped with two cameras, laser scanners, and can autonomously explore hallways in unfamiliar buildings detecting doors and windows. With this information, the robots can create maps of unfamiliar places, giving an advantage to soldiers or firefighters who could put such maps to good use.
No word on when we’ll start seeing these robots in action, but it sure feels like Minority Report is starting to turn from fantasy into reality. Watch a video of the mini bots in action:
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