In last summer’s popular movie “Prometheus,” astronauts explored a huge derelict spaceship by flinging baseball-size sensors that took digital images of the vessel as they flew along.

Francisco Aguilar is hard at work on the same idea. Aguilar’s Boston company, Bounce Imaging, is developing a ball with six cameras inside for 360-degree viewing that can be used as a ­surveillance device by police and firefighters in hazardous situations, such as a hostage taking or a chemical leak.