A new throwable tactical camera is making the rounds, and could become a revolutionary new tool for police forces.

The tactical camera, produced by Bounce Imaging, allows police to explore unseen areas, a big problem for both them and other first responders, according to an MIT News report.

Some rooms can have dangerous individuals waiting in ambush, but that’s not the only reason to use these balls. There’s also the problem of collapsed buildings that may have survivors trapped underneath, and it’s difficult to reach them or even see that they’re there.

The Boston-based Bounce Imaging company hopes that these tactical spheres will become a hit among cops and first responders, being deployed into hazardous areas to instantly transmit images that could save lives.

The ball would be equipped with cameras and sensors and be capable of beaming panoramic images to a smartphone, allowing instant assessment of a potentially dangerous situation and hopefully negating the need for a deadly confrontation.

The project was launched in 2012 by an MIT alumnus with help from MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service. The company will deploy 100 Explorers to police departments around the country, and the effort could include first responders and other clients at some point in the future.

The ball is about the size of a softball, and it is encased in a rubber shell. It has a camera with six lenses inside, as well as LED lights. The camera can snap photos from every lens several times a second, and then the software would upload these images to a mobile device.