Stanford researchers develop vine-like, growing robot.The robot prototypes were made up of thin plastic tubes that were inflated with air, which can also be replaced with pumped water. A control system that can inflate only portions of the body of the robot, can be used to make it maneuver to the left or right. The robot could navigate through glue, pointed nails, up an icy wall to deliver a sensor that could be used to find out the carbon dioxide levels in a fire. In another demonstration, the robot grew under the gap of a door, and formed a free standing spiral structure which was used to broadcast a radio signal.
