In a bold move that will undoubtedly revolutionize search-and-rescue efforts, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute's robotics department has created a team of bat-inspired robots. Because what could possibly go wrong with emulating the navigational skills of nocturnal flying mammals?
According to Nitin Sanket, assistant professor of robotics engineering and apparent aficionado of fog machines, the idea was born out of a Halloween event that featured a fog machine used to create a "spooky atmosphere" inside the department's drone cage. We can only assume this is code for "we were trying to reenact 'The Shining' but ended up with a bunch of engineers shivering in a damp room."
Sanket gushed about how this year-long exercise in futility would ultimately lead to the creation of robots that could find people trapped under rubble, saying, "We wanted to tap into our inner bat and see if we could create a robot that could navigate through complex environments." Complex environments? You mean like the one where you've got a fog machine blowing directly at your face and you're trying not to trip over wires while simultaneously pretending to be a vampire?
The robots are equipped with "bat-like" features such as echolocation, which is just a fancy way of saying they emit high-pitched squeaks until something happens. Because nothing says "stealthy rescue operation" like a group of screaming, high-tech bats crashing through the night sky.
When asked about the practical applications of these newfangled robots, Sanket revealed that they're planning to use them in search-and-rescue efforts, which we can only assume means they'll be deployed to search for lost socks and missing Netflix remote controls.
In related news, the WPI robotics department has announced plans to create a line of robot animals, starting with a robot cat that will inevitably get stuck under the couch.