Caterpillars in the Capillaries

Tufts
University groundbreaking research on caterpillar locomotion could pave
the way to designing first flexible robot to navigate through
human body, pipelines, reactors

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. – Tufts University neurobiologist Barry Trimmer is
inching his way to unlocking the secrets behind the way caterpillars maneuver
and climb,
and is using that knowledge to one day build flexible robots that could explore
internal organs, blood vessels and the insides of pipelines.

"We are trying to understand how the nervous system controls these
complex movements so we can replicate that movement and build our own
soft-bodied
robots that maneuver easily, like a caterpillar," Trimmer said.

He added, "Our research has potential applications in the design and control
of a new type of flexible robot that could be used to navigate through pipelines
or intricate structures such as blood vessels and air tubes, as well as space
shuttle operations and building construction."

from Tufts
Press Release via Eureka Alert