Robot centipede launched into the intestines. See how he climbs the walls

Robot centipede, created by engineers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, modified

version of soft robots capable of moving inconfined space that the team had previously created. The new device is equipped with tiny feet that stick to the mucus covering internal organs, leaving no damage when the robot walks.

The 3.7mm robot is made fromferromagnetic-elastic sheet body, controlled deformations of which provide movement. At the ends of the sheet there are two soft cylindrical ring-shaped pads covered with hydrogel spikes that provide adhesion to surfaces. 

Under the influence of a magnetic field, the body of the robotbends, which allows you to control movements. It moves across a slime-covered surface by first placing a foot and attaching itself, and then flipping its body over, freeing the other leg. Researchers call this "flaking and loading."

Researchers have shown that the robot canclimb in any direction, even upside down, and maintains its grip even when exposed to liquid. In tests, the researchers had the robot navigate a pig's lung and digestive tract. In addition, the robot is capable of lifting loads three times its size and 20 times its weight. 

The researchers believe that the development can be used for biopsy and drug delivery.

Image: Yingdan Wu et al, Science Advances

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