The soft robot slither into the intestine via a person’s mouth or rear-end all by itself. Image: Ying et. al 2026

Worms are usually the last thing someone wants in their gut. Just ask this unfortunate Alaskan bear recently spotted with several multi-foot long tapeworms hanging out of its butt. However, a new type of gut-crawling worm being designed by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), may actually be here to help.

Their soft r obot , called BIOSENTER, is designed to autonomously inch through the crowded, cramped, and coiled small intestine, contracting and extending its body much like an earthworm or snake . It does that by alternately pumping air through four inflatable chambers on either side of its hollow body. Once inside, the wiggly worm-bot can snap photos, administer drugs, and even take small biopsy samples.…