Insects have long been a source of inspiration for robotics engineers. They are small, agile, and can squeeze into spaces where people can’t. Such robots are very useful for space exploration, inspecting industrial equipment, and even carrying out search-and-rescue operations. For certain purposes, researchers turn real insects into cyborgs – which raises some ethical concerns – so sometimes, they build beetle-inspired robots from scratch.

Insects have long been a source of inspiration for robotics engineers. They are small, agile, and can squeeze into spaces where people can’t. Such robots are very useful for space exploration, inspecting industrial equipment, and even carrying out search-and-rescue operations. For certain purposes, researchers turn real insects into cyborgs – which raises some ethical concerns – so sometimes, they build beetle-inspired robots from scratch.