Imagine an autonomous drone that flies, rolls, and explores confined and complex spaces without fear of collision damage, and is so energy efficient that it operates up to 10 times longer than a standard drone. Sahand Sabet, PhD, who was working towards his degree at the time in the University of Arizona(link is external) College of Engineering(link is external), has developed this very technology. Looking like a high-tech mesh ball, the robot that Sabet and his team have created can transition between buzzing through the air and rolling on the ground, giving it not only unmatched mobility in confined spaces, but also durability and efficiency, the latter resulting from the physics fact that rolling requires much less energy than flight.  

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