Mechanical masterminds have spawned the Bat Bot, a soaring, sweeping and diving robot that may eventually fly circles around other drones. Because it mimics the unique and more flexible way bats fly, this 3-ounce prototype could do a better and safer job getting into disaster sites and scoping out construction zones than bulky drones with spinning rotors, said the three authors of a study released Wednesday in the journal Science Robotics. For example, it would have been ideal for going inside the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, said study co-author Seth Hutchinson, an engineering professor at the University of Illinois. Bat Bot, a three-ounce flying robot can be more agile at getting into treacherous places than standard drones. The flying robot weighs just three ounces, and is equipped with nine joints. It measures about 8 inches from head to tail, and has a super-thin membrane that stretches to about a foot and a half.