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Cockroach-inspired robot among smallest, fastest ever

Cockroach-inspired robot among smallest, fastest ever

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram has developed a robot that can just about squeeze onto the surface of a penny and weighs far less than a paperclip while still being able to carry up to 10 times its own weight.

Inspired by cockroaches, Jayaram led the design of the robot as a postdoctoral scholar in Harvard’s Microrobotics Lab before joining the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2020.

These and other insect-inspired robots in his lab could quickly crawl into airplane engines or other spaces where mechanics can’t reach to conduct inspections, among many other applications.

Jayaram Robotics

Principal Investigator
Kaushik Jayaram

Collaboration + support
Harvard University; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); the Wyss Institute