Robot worm could help in search and rescue attempts

A University of Leeds researcher has developed a giant robotic worm that could be used in search and rescue operations.

The 'worm-bot', designed by Dr Jordan Boyle, is modelled on the C. elegans nematode; a tiny worm that is able to navigate its way around obstacles using a basic nervous system.

According to Dr Boyle the ‘worm-bot' therefore deals with obstacles in a different way to other snake or worm-like robots.

Typically these robots move by using an 'ideal' wave that their control system has worked out in advance. The control system senses any obstacles and the robot is directed to change its shape accordingly.

The bio-inspired worm-bot is not interested in its surroundings and simply wants to wriggle from side to side. When it hits an obstacle, it doesn't need to know how that has altered the shape of its body in order to carry on. These video clips taken by Dr Boyle at Leeds University show the worm-bot in action.

Dr Boyle, an engineering research fellow at the University's Schools of Computing and Mechanical Engineering, said: "The combination of the flexible control system and the 'bendy' body means that the robot adapts blindly to any obstacles that are preventing it from moving forward. Basically the worm-bot is thinking: 'go, go, go!'".

He admitted that there are things that need to be ironed out because the robot "has no idea where it will end up so there is a small chance that it might get stuck."

But Dr Boyle is hopeful that additional layers of artificial intelligence will solve this issue. Future versions of the robot could be given different skins to help them cope with different sufaces such as water or mud.

"A future version of this robot could potentially navigate through irregular gaps and holes in buildings that have been damaged by fire, explosions or earthquakes," said Dr Boyle.

The project was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It follows on from Dr Boyle's EPSRC-funded PhD at the University's School of Computing to model the motion of the C. elegans worm.