The robot that sees like a bat! 'Robat' uses sound to navigate

A new breed of robot mimics bats by using sound alone to find its way around. The four-wheeled Robat, developed by Israeli researchers, uses an echo-based sonar system to navigate and map its surroundings. A speaker sends out ultrasonic signals which bounce back off of objects and are picked up by two ultra-sensitive microphones. Experts behind the autonomous technology say it could be used during rescue operations in areas that are too dangerous for humans to reach. The Tel Aviv University team showed that Robat can pick its way through an obstacle course using sonar alone.