Swarms of tiny drones could be used for rescue missions (Video)

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are working on a new generation of disaster drones that can be deployed in swarms into buildings to give first responders a look inside, mapping out the interior as they go.

The drones could be valuable in situations such as those faced recently after massive explosions ripped through a port in Tianjin, China, or in the aftermath of a smaller event, like a house fire.

"These places are very dangerous for rescuers to go, so we don’t want to just blindly send people inside," said Pei Zhang, an associate research professor at CMU's campus inside the NASA Ames Research Park in Moffett Field, California, where the research is taking place.

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