Self-healing robots take step towards disaster relief

PAWESOME: New research on self-healing robotos is inspired by the learning abilities of the natural world, for instance if a dog hurts its paw, it will seek to move differently to avoid putting pressure on the painful wound.

PARIS: Scientists said they had created a small robot that can recover from damage, in a step towards machines that mimic the remarkable adaptive powers of humans and animals. 

The feat could one day lead to first-responder robots which can cope with dangers that today would put them out of operation, they said.