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BY Hunter Schwarz

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All too often rats get a bad rap. They can be vectors of disease, and cities like New York invest heavily in fighting them. But maybe it’s just that we’re not seeing their potential. Once trained, backpack-wearing African giant pouched rats can save lives.

To assist in disaster recovery like an earthquake or building collapse, the nonprofit APOPO trains rats nicknamed “RescueRATs” to get into spaces humans or robots can’t access on their own. These rats wear custom-designed backpacks that provide real-time audio and video streaming as well as two-way communications so rescuers can speak with survivors.

[Photo: ©APOPO]

“African giant pouched rats are small and light, so they can move across unstable debris and through narrow gaps without disturbing it,” Lily Shallom, communications manager at APOPO, tells Fast Company .…