One day, inflatable robots shaped like giant soccer balls could invade mars. Fredrik Bruhn from Angström Aerospace in Sweden and an international team have developed a 30 cm ball that inflates with xenon gas upon landing.

The robot would use a pendulum hanging from a bar inside as it’s means of propulsion. One battery charge would allow it to travel 100 kilometers.

Another Swedish company called Rotundus already has a working prototype of a spherical robot called GroundBot, but this robot is not inflatable.

When the robot is deflated and stowed away, it takes up half of the space of conventional wheeled robots. The robot will also contain solar cells, cameras and electrodes to sense electrical properties on the ground.

Link via (New Scientist)