We may soon have teeny tiny robots crawling throughout our bodies to deliver drugs. That is, if a prototype robot from scientists in Germany ever sees the light of day. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany have developed a rubbery, worm-like robot that they hope will be used for medicinal purposes in the future. The robot can crawl, walk and roll on land, swim in water and navigate obstacle courses. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany have developed a rubbery, worm-like robot that they hope will be used for medicinal purposes in the future.

At first glance you might mistake this worm-like robot as a child's toy. But the innovative machine is the world's first 3D-printed robot that can move forwards or backwards in a wave-like motion. Its designers hope to miniaturise the robot to make it small enough to swallow, allowing it to crawl along through the intestines to actively visualise the digestive system. The innovative machine is the world's first 3D-printed robot that can move forwards or backwards in a wave-like motion The device is the world's first 3D-printed robot that can move forwards or backwards in a wave-like motion. It can climb over obstacles or crawl through unstable terrain like sand and grass, reaching top speeds of 57 centimetres/second – five times faster than similar robots.