Colonoscopies can cause patients discomfort as the doctor pushes an endoscope through twists and turns of the large intestine. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, have developed a robotic worm that one day could be harnessed to pull endoscopes through intestines and catheters through arteries. It is based on the movement of soft-bodied animals like worms and slugs. It is made up of a series of individually inflatable nylon and latex segments. They are filled with water or air, causing them to expand and contract, one at a time. When done in a controlled sequence, the inflating and deflating makes the worm move forward or backward through turns and twists. The researchers say the same type of robot could be used by plumbers cleaning drains, or searchers looking for survivors in earthquake debris and rubble.