Biomorphic Explorers

"Biomorphic explorers" are a class of proposed small robots that would be equipped with microsensors and would feature animallike adaptability and mobility. These robots would capture key features, a specific design or function found in nature, taking advantage of general animal mechanical designs and neural functions that have evolved to enable animals to move through various environments. These robots are conceived for use in remote, hostile, and/or inaccessible terrestrial and other planetary environments, where they would be used to perform such diverse functions as acquisition of scientific data, law-enforcement surveillance, or diagnosis for precise, minimally invasive medical treatment. Depending on the specific environment to be explored, a biomorphic explorer might be designed to crawl, hop, slither, burrow, swim, or fly.