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A device that could locomote through curving and tortuous spaces would find many applications in medicine and in industry. Invertebrates such as earthworms and leeches can solve this problem using peristaltic locomotion. We describe a device consisting of three braided pneumatic actuators in series that can successfully locomote peristaltically. The device can locomote forwards and backwards in elevated and curving tubes, and with a plastic sheath around it.
Mangan et al. (2003) studied this question.