Scientists at a Russian university have made a robot that looks and
walks just like a big (four-inch) Death’s Head cockroach. The university
was asked to make the prototype by a private company whose name has not
been revealed.
The scurrying little robots could be used to help
find victims after natural disasters like earthquakes and fires. In
situations which are unsafe for people to enter a collapsed structure,
the robot cockroaches could go in and squeeze through very tight spaces.
The robots have tiny contact sensors and light sensors which keep them
from hitting obstacles.
The robots are capable of carrying a weight of 10 grams, so the Russian
military is interested in potentially mounting cameras on them. Of
course, it’s possible that the bugs could be used for spying on the
enemy. In the next phase of testing, the cockroaches will have
navigation systems installed so that they can be controlled by a person
remotely. 
