Anyone that ever owned a hamster will be familiar with the concept of this new robot - which will undoubtedly be more useful than a tame rodent.
The Rosphere, developed by a team from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid uses an ingenious system of small weighted pendulums that manipulate its centre of gravity.
The result is a robot much more capable than those with with legs as the video below demonstrating its moves on sand show.
The potential uses for Rosphere are huge.
It can be fitted with a variety of cameras and sensors meaning it would be ideal for trundling along the furrows in fields automatically checking crops.
Additionally it could provide surveillance or provide an eye for search and rescue teams in difficult terrain.
A section of the press release says:
The robot was also tested on shared spaces with people in order to verify that this robot can safely interact without being a threat to people
Reassuring to know...
Further developments hope to increase its ability to tackle inclines and improve its autonomy making it even more versatile.