Wriggling Robot Worms Work Together to Climb Walls and Cross Obstacles
- tech360.tv
- Jul 24, 2025
- 1 min read
A team of researchers at Harvard University has developed a new robotic platform inspired by the California blackworm, capable of wriggling, tangling, and working together to move across land and water.
The robots, each about 30 centimetres long, are made from soft synthetic polymers and powered individually. When pressurised, an internal air chamber causes each robot to curl, allowing them to entangle with others nearby and form a cohesive, mobile blob.
Led by Senior Research Fellow Justin Werfel at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the project aims to explore how physical entanglement can lead to group behaviours in artificial systems.
The robotic worms recently earned the Best Paper on Mechanisms and Design award at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
The entangled robot blobs can navigate complex environments, including climbing buildings, crossing gaps, and moving objects. They function both on land and in water.
Researchers are also working on an untethered version of the robots that would use microfluidics for guidance, enabling autonomous movement through natural environments.
Werfel said the team is investigating whether physical entanglement can serve not only as a means of cohesion but also as a channel for communication and coordination.
Harvard researchers created robot worms that mimic blackworm behaviour
Robots tangle together to form mobile, cohesive blobs
Each robot is 30 cm long and powered by internal air pressure
Source: TECHXPLORE
