For some, an image of a creepy robot that moves, walks and swims in the same way as a salamander will be the stuff of nightmares, but this bizarre looking bot does have a significant purpose. Created by researchers at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, the 3D-printed robot copies the gait of the Pleurodeles waltl salamander. Dubbed Pleurobot, the engineers behind the work say it is "accurately based on the 3D motion of the animal's skeleton". The team created X-ray videos of a salamander moving and were able to copy its actions by tracking 64 points along the animal's body. The robot itself has 27 motors and 11 segments along its spine.