On September 11, 2001, a few minutes after both planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, the doors of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) warehouse opened. Several vans emerged. Inside were the PackBots, all-terrain robots designed to help rescue teams find survivors among the rubble. They were still in the development phase, but that day, scientists decided to put them to the test. They were very small and compact, moved at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour, could withstand all types of weather conditions, and were equipped with a radio system, cameras, and sensors to interact with their surroundings. They were crowned by a highly versatile articulated arm that could remove small obstacles, explore narrow spaces, or place objects in hard-to-reach places. Behind the widget was iRobot, the company that, 25 years later, is a successful seller of self-vacuum robots in homes around the world.