Squirrels can help with developing combat robots

Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley are using squirrels as a prototype for a new robot.

The US Army is actively getting armed with a wide variety of drones and other robotic weapons. However, existing ground-based models have serious problems when overcoming obstacles. In an attempt to fix this problem, scientists took a closer look at wildlife.

When in pursuit of a tasty delicacy, squirrels can perform the most elaborate jumps, plan their actions within seconds, and at the same time never fall. Even though the animal may misjudge a jump, its tenacious paws always manage to grab onto a branch or a tree trunk.

This ability could come in handy both on the battlefield and through search and rescue missions. So we may see a new kind of "jumping" robot over the next few years.