iRobot's Tiny Ember Robots Scout Terrains in Swarms  A tiny
version of iRobot's Packbot reconnaissance machine, the Ember,
was made to scout hostile environments in swarms, compiling
feedback from multiple machines instead of risking a single,
bigger robot for the mission.  The Embers, which are around the
size of a paperback book, are said to weigh less than a pound
and are also equipped with built-in cameras and side flippers to
help them vault over any obstacles they might encounter in the
field. As part of DARPA's LANDroids program, iRobot was given
three years and $2.5 million to develop the Embers. Currently in
their first year, iRobot is looking to make the Ember easy to
use and cheap, so that they could be left behind on the
battlefield if needed. [Danger Room via BBG]