About FiloBot:

• It is different from conventional climbing robots as it doesn’t depend on pre-programmed movements.
• It instead absorbs 3D printing filament through its head and extends its length over time, just like a creeper.
• The team utilised a combination of plant behaviours like phototropism, negative phototropism and gravitropism and utilises these naturally occurring behaviours in high-tech robots.
• The tests for FiloBot have been successful and displayed remarkable adaptability that adjusts its growth trajectory dynamically in response to moving light intensity.
• Significance
  • By equipping autonomous systems with transportable additive manufacturing techniques merged with bioinspired behavioural strategies, future robots can navigate unstructured and dynamic environments and even be capable of self-building infrastructure.
  • This new innovation has opened new potential impact of technology that can be applied in robotics, where adaptability and responsiveness redefine the capabilities of climbing robots.
• Other similar innovations
  • A similar snake-like robot was unveiled by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which was specifically crafted to work on rough terrains of our solar system’s planets and moons. 
  • The robot named Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS 1.0) is engineered to navigate diverse landscapes, including ice, sand, cliff walls, deep craters and lava tubes.