Robin Murphy, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of South Florida (USF) is working on a robot that will serve as a companion and rescue aid in times of dire need, and has garnered financial support from Microsoft.

She's worked on robots like this before, some of which have aided at the World Trade Center and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The goal of this one, (one model of which is pictured below) will be, according to Murphy, to have a robot 'that will be a companion to a person who may be trapped after a car crash or in building ruins following an earthquake, or someone pinned down by sniper fire. Robots can provide not only a sense of being a ‘buddy’ by playing soothing music or providing other entertainment, the robot also can be the audio and video link between survivor and family.’

While it may seem a little odd to consider at first, she is confident in the cause, and its future:

‘My dream is that one day you’ll see rescuers and dogs at a disaster site, but if you don’t see a robot you’ll say, ‘Where are they?’ because they’ll have become so commonplace. They’ll do things dogs and people can’t.’”