Hoping Microbots and NASA funding

For the past several years, NASA has been encouraging scientists and engineers to think outside the box, bring out gadgets or gizmos that will help further the advancement of science and to come up with ideas just this side of science fiction. One of the projects that received funding earlier this year was a collaboration between Dr. Penelope Boston and Dr. Steven Dubowsky to develop "hopping microbots" capable of exploring hazardous terrain, including underground caves.
If you want to travel to distant stars, or find life on another world, it takes a bit of planning. That's why NASA has established NIAC.
NIAC provides funding on a competitive basis. Only a handful of the dozens of proposals submitted are funded. Phase I funding is minimal, just enough for researchers to flesh out their idea on paper. If the idea shows merit, it then may get Phase II funding, allowing the research to continue from the pure-concept to the crude-prototype stage.

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