Itsy Bitsy Termite Building Machines

We can learn a lot from termites. Or so says the Harvard University School of Engineering which is currently conducting research on the newest and littlest piece of heavy-duty construction equipment you're likely to find on a future jobsite. The tiny, 4.7 in. high termite-inspired robots move not on wheels but on combination legs and wheels called "whegs." Instead of following programmed instructions, they are designed to intelligently react to their given environment, just as termites do when building a 7 ft high mound. Researchers see them as the perfect replacement for humans in dangerous construction situations like levee building.

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