A robot snake that can slither across the ground could be used for rescue tasks or inspecting hard-to-reach places. Snakes can get around in different ways. When on flat, slippery ground like a desert, some move by sidewinding, in which they undulate in a series of S-shaped bends. This can help by minimising their contact with the hot ground. In more complex environments, they can roll in a spiral motion, which helps them avoid touching sections of the ground with their body.

A robot snake has been developed by scientists in the race to advance the abilities of search and rescue machines. It is hoped that the robots may some day help to explore inaccessible terrain, such as rubble after an earthquake. Scientists observed how snakes moved and used this information to make a robot that can climb large steps in a nimble and stable fashion. Chen Li, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in the US and a senior author of the research, said: "We look to these creepy creatures for movement inspiration because they're already so adept at stably scaling obstacles in their day-to-day lives. Hopefully our robot can learn how to bob and weave across surfaces just like snakes."

If you think regular snakes are scary, try a robotic serpent that can scale ladders. Japanese researchers at Kyoto University have unveiled a prototype'robot snake' that can slither and curl around surfaces and climb just like the real thing. Rather than just creating it to trigger nightmares, they believe it could one day be used to save lives. Kyoto University researchers say the robot snake could be used to enter dangerous situations that are unsafe for humans. It may also be able to rescue humans that are stuck in hard to reach places. They developed an advanced gait for the device that could enable it to crawl through narrow pipes that would otherwise be inaccessible by search and rescue teams.

If you think regular snakes are scary, try a robotic serpent that can scale ladders. Japanese researchers at Kyoto University have unveiled a prototype'robot snake' that can slither and curl around surfaces and climb just like the real thing. Rather than just creating it to trigger nightmares, they believe it could one day be used to save lives. Kyoto University researchers say the robot snake could be used to enter dangerous situations that are unsafe for humans. It may also be able to rescue humans that are stuck in hard to reach places.

Researchers have created a robot that can slither like a snake - and it might be used in laparoscopic surgeries. The invention is the latest in a slew of new robotic developments. Engineers have recently come up with robots that can glide across water, open doors and lift up to 1,000 times their weight. Now, scientists from Harvard have created one that can slither using artificial scales, according to new research published in Science Robotics. Researchers designed the'robot snake' by using a type of paper cutting art, called kirigami, to engineer the device.

If you've never had a robot snake constrict around your leg, let me tell you, it's a weird feeling. As it curls its way up your ankle, then shin, then finally wraps around your knee, it gets tighter and tighter. Fortunately, unlike a real snake, it doesn't have teeth. Unfortunately, also unlike a real snake, it's made of metal joints that pinch harder and harder until you say, "OK, that's enough," and the young man at the controls hits a button and calls off the machine. The snake slithers, a robot insect crawls about, and a wheeled biped speeds down the hallway--until you try to give it a push and it crashes into a wall.

A snake-like robot that can coil and unravel itself at speeds of 20mph (32 km/h) could be used to save lives during search and rescue missions. The 72-metre-long (236ft) robot can sneak around corners and even turn handles and taps using its bendy body. Researchers hope that the robot could one day slither into cramped spaces to aid rescue workers, or perform odd jobs inside structures such as radio antennae. Researchers created the robot using inspiration from the plant kingdom. Unlike animals, plants move from one place to another by growing in a particular direction.

Uncle Sam, Carnegie Mellon's latest robotic snake, has been taught to climb trees. The snake is the newest version of "modsnake" created by the Biorobotics Laboratory at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The snake's movements are biomimetic, mimicking movements of real snakes including side-winding, wiggling and rolling. Now the snake robot can also wrap itself around a tree trunk and climb vertically up the outside of the tree. An earlier version has previously been demonstrated climbing vertically inside pipes.

At first I was worried that this was going to be just another drone footage video with pompous music, but all of a sudden...that GIANT ROBOT EYEBALL BLIMP we saw in Germany last month shows up.