Any thoughts that you had about running through a door to find safety from killer robots is now useless. These drones are no bigger than the palm of your hand, but they can work together to open a door. Created by Stanford University, EPFL and NCCR Robotics in Switzerland, these micro drones called FlyCroTug have advanced gripping technologies that allow them to anchor to a surface and haul objects that weigh as much as 40 times their weight. This is not going to end well.

It’s all under the guise of search and rescue, in which these drones would be able to search through collapsed buildings, opening doors, and possibly moving debris out of the way. They use gecko-inspired non-sticky adhesive to grip objects and surfaces. Using a series of fishhook-like metal spines they can latch onto smooth and rough surfaces. They also have powerful winches to reel in their cargo.

The design is inspired by wasps, which are able to fly rapidly to a piece of food, and if the food is too heavy to fly with, wasps will drag it along the ground. Pretty cool, but scary as hell. This is another reason to always lock your doors. Robots can open them. Check the FlyCroTug robots out in action in the video below:

[via Mike Shouts]