Are you ready for new 'roach-inspired' armored vehicles?

Get ready for the future of armored combat. It's a vision straight out of "Starship Troopers." It's cockroach-inspired combat vehicles.

The August issue of Bioinspiration and Biomimetics magazine includes an article by a team of University of California at Berkeley scientists and electrical engineers conducting research into building cockroach-inspired Army vehicles that would have rounded-shell exteriors and be able to traverse a wide assortment of terrain, including the ability to squeeze through gaps and quickly change direction. Robot experiments, partly funded by the Army Research Laboratory, based on a roach design showed promise for real world applications.

We are not talking about soldiers riding in a “roach coach,” at least not yet. Research is supported by the Micro Autonomy Systems Technology Collaborative Technology Alliance, which has other studies underway of what it calls “bio-inspired” ability to move over complex terrain, perch like a bird, and use tails or appendages.

Are you ready for these new 'roach-inspired' vehicles?