Wormbot Could Wiggle Its Way Into Damaged Buildings During Rescue Operations

Posted on July 7, 2011

Dr Jordan Boyle, a University of Leeds researcher built a large robotic worm that can wiggle its way around obstacles. The wormbot is based on C. elegans nematode, a tiny worm that moves using a simple nervous system. Dr Boyle's wormbot is 2000 times bigger than the 1 mm-long C. elegans worm.

Dr Jordan Boyle is hopeful the worm could one day be used in rescue operations by wiggling its way into damaged buildings in the future. Boyle says, "A future version of this robot could potentially navigate through irregular gaps and holes in buildings that had been damaged by fire, explosions or earthquakes."

Take a look:

ROBOTS