ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers have chosen two organizations to develop enabling technologies for insect-size robots able to perform complex jobs like disaster relief or inspecting hazardous environments that are inaccessible to larger robots.

Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., have awarded two contracts over the past two weeks for the SHort-Range Independent Microrobotic Platforms (SHRIMP) project.

SHRIMP, sponsored by the DARPA Microsystems Technology Office, is developing new actuators, multi-mode power for future untethered insect-scale robots -- also called micro-to-milli robotic platforms.