The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has often been known for big breakthrough, like the ARPANET or the MQ-1 Predator. For its SHRIMP program, DARPA has gone in a different direction, looking to make a small breakthrough to save lives. Short for Short-Range Independent Microrobotics Platform, the SHRIMP program is designed around networks of robots the size of insects, expected to be capable of winding through zones hit by natural disasters, to inspect damage and find survivors.
The project is expected to investigate the use of materials and mechanisms emphasizing strength-to-weight ratios to maximize the endurance and abilities of these microrobots. The start of testing to evaluate the capabilities of the program is expected to begin in 2019, with long-term applications seen in the field of search and rescue, disaster relief, and inspection of hazardous environments.
Sources:
https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=c2e31da7d7b81b32c1663fad378d45fb
https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/19/darpas-insect-sized-shrimp-robots-disaster-relief/
