Via: Singularity Hub - Yet what Uncle Sam has over many other bio-inspired robots is its modular design. Built from repeated segments of sensors and actuators, modular bots let you construct larger machines out of relatively simple building blocks. As we’ve discussed before, modular robotics also allow the possibility for robot to self assemble in the field, and to be easily repaired if a section is damaged.
Right off the bat, I can see this being useful to rescue squads. Mount an IR camera and a microphone cluster uplinked to a Fourier processor and you could hunt for survivors in mines or earthquake damaged buildings. On the other hand, Homeland's terror apparatchik might want to classify it for its own use. If it can fit up the loo pipe, it must be publicly accessible; no warrant needed.
