War-torn countries and disaster areas that need to observed by officials require sturdy drones. That’s where the nearly indestructible GimBall comes into play.

Engineers with Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have developed a unmanned aerial vehicle with a roll cage that can bounce off obstacles in flight.

The device, which was unveiled last year, has been improved by putting it through numerous test flights.

The Journal of Field Robotics said the GimBall proved virtually indestructible during initial tests, even during flight, according to Vice Media’s technology blog Motherboard.

The GimBall works by utilizing a free-rotating camera stand called a Gimbal System, a propeller, a stabilization system, a camera and a roll cage, the Motherboard blog reported. The GimBall is unique in that the outside frame rotates and absorbs shock upon contatct, with minimal effect on its propeller.

The drone’s design is already turning up in commercial models, Motherboard reported.

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