Robotic Caterpillar Crawls Ahead

The 15-millimeter caterpillar robot is tiny enough to rest on the fingertip. Caterpillars have met their robotic double. Well, maybe the real-life creatures haven't met their robotic likeness, but the caterpillar robot does exist. Through a process called biomimetics, engineers borrow design ideas from nature--including from the ways creators navigate their environment--to create engineered products that mimic the original. For robotic design, they've looked to animals that move in ways uniquely suited to the jobs they need to perform.