An Iranian researcher has designed and built a robot which can rescue victims and those trapped in earthquake debris and similar situations. “The remote-controlled robot which is also a pathfinder can be used for relief and rescue operations,” Hadi Yousefipour, the inventor, told FNA in mid February. Noting that the robot can be used for three missions, including fighting, rescuing and path-finding, he said, “The pathfinder robot can fulfill missions in cumbersome situations or it can be used after natural disasters, including earthquakes, storms, etc.” A rescue robot is a robot that has been designed for the purpose of rescuing people. Common situations that employ rescue robots are mining accidents, urban disasters, hostage situations, and explosions. Rescue robots were used in the search for victims and survivors after the September 11 attacks in New York. The benefits of rescue robots to these operations include reduced personnel requirements, reduced fatigue, and access to otherwise unreachable areas. Iran has taken wide strides in science and technology, particularly in building medical and robotic devices, in recent years. Iranian inventors in July 2011 made a man-like robot named 'Sorena 2' which walks on two feet, discerns words and does other manly actions. Sorena 2 was born after another robot named 'Sorena 1' was developed in Iran in 2008.