Should they be in dangerous situations, humans will be helped by a flying rescue robot named Gimball BBC News reported Thursday.
"Usually robots need to move around obstacles, so we thought it would be interesting to allow it to sustain collisions," Adrien Briod, co-creator of the device told BBC News.
The robot's makers introduced their creation that can slide off trees, buildings, walls, glide similar to how a mosquito does. It can also adjust itself if it gets into a collision, and easily handle crashes. Gimball can also help save people who are in buildings on fire, or after ones who have had radiation leaks. According to BBC News, flying robots of its type don't usually survive massive collisions
"We can imagine it finding its way through a building, hitting obstacles and following a wall until it finds the door," Briod told NBC News.
Gimball does this by using its protective spherical roll cage, which is moves around by doing mechanical part turns.
The robot maintains its upright position through a gyroscopic system, which has an accelerometer. This detector is similar to the one in smartphones and tells the device the difference between up and down.
The robot is also run by two propellers, which can carry up to 30 grams of weight including gas or radioactivity sensors. The new technology also has a motion sensor, a camera, an altimeter or an instrument which measures altitude, a magnetic compass, and a micro-controller processor. The machine measures 34 centimeters or 13 inches in length, and 370 grams or 13 ounces in weight.
People can operate it through a remote control. However Briod has bigger aspirations of equipping it with artificial intelligence so it can function completely on its own.
Gimball was constructed by Briod and engineer Mariusz Kornatowski at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems of EPFL.
