This robot grows like a vine -- and could help navigate disaster zones

The vine-like Filobot was inspired by plants.Credit: Del Dottore et al., Sci. Researchers have demonstrated a robot that grows like a vine in response to stimuli such as light and pressure. The machine -- named FiloBot -- has a head that prints its body by melting and extruding plastic, which then solidifies as it cools. The robot's head is connected to a base by a thin hose, through which it receives a fresh supply of plastic from a spool. FiloBot's growth rate is slow -- its body elongates by just a few millimeters each minute.