This is a new type of robot that promises to overcome any obstacle

Imagine a gigantic worm. It is flexible, malleable and capable of entering restricted places, overcoming obstacles that humans can not. Now imagine that this earthworm is a 28-centimeter robot. It can grow rapidly, reaching up to 78 meters in a few minutes. In addition, the technology of this equipment can move with or without human control and reach an impressive speed of 35 km per hour. Not to mention that the robot worm also climbs vertically through the air.

This reality is possible thanks to the intense studies and research produced by scientists at Stanford University, located in Palo Alto, California. They built the earthworm robot in a malleable but sturdy way, capable of infiltrating narrow, narrow places like very small holes.


The robot is made of polyethylene and its growth happens due to an air pump that drives the pressure inside the robot's internal camera, stimulating its development.

In addition to the incredible ability to grow, the robot worm also demonstrates an impressive strength, managing to lift weights that a human being alone could not.

The inspiration for the construction of the object came from the life of microorganisms. "Certain cells and organisms navigate through their environment not through locomotion but through growth," says the article published by Science Robotics.




"This pattern of movement has been found in fungi, in the development of neurons, and creeping plants, and is characterized by extending from the tip of the body, growing hundreds of percent, and active control of growth targeting. This results in the ability to move through limited and restricted environments and in the three-dimensional utility of body shape and structure, "says one of the scientists responsible for the invention.

Therefore the design of the robot was designed to mimic the movement of plants, which can grow away from physical obstacles, but at a speed comparable to that of animals.



"One thing we've discovered with this growing robot is that it's surprisingly difficult to stop its growth when it's pressurized - if there was a way for it to expand, it probably will," explains Joey Davis Greer in an interview with The Verge .

Scientists believe that if the creation continues to be developed it could be used to aid in search and rescue missions in the future. In addition, they also believe in the potential of using the machine in surgical cases, such as a catheter guide, for example.

Watch the video of the Stanford researchers demonstrating the incredible abilities of this worm robot:

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