The article
The article I read was about a bot called Gimball built by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology. Gimball is a simple bot in that it does not rely on senors to navigate, although it does have a camera it is not used for navigation.. The bot is contained within a gyroscopic lightweight cage that allows it to remain stable even after bumping and crashing into objects and obstacles. In the demonstration of Gimball, the bot was only equipped with a magnetic sensor to know which way was north. Gimball was then sent on its merry way crashing and bouncing its way through a forest all the while traveling north.
future implications
Gimball's design could have great applications in dangerous search and rescue operations in which flying robot couldn't otherwise operate. An example of this would be in a building that collapsed during an earthquake. Most bots would be unable to fly in such places however, Gimball's simple approach to flying enables it to operate in such conditions and its on board camera could provide invaluable information to emergency personnel.