A team of scientists from the Harvard University have developed a new flexible robot that is capable of squeeze under obstacles and reach tight places.

The new robot has several advantages over earlier robots that are more rigid with wheels and are difficult to navigate in difficult terrain. The robot, which is inspired by squid and starfish, was manufactured with soft materials and is driven by compressed air.

Professor George Whitesides, Robert Shepherd and their colleagues from Harvard University in Cambridge, US said that the inspiration for robot was inspired by sea animals. The pneumatically-driven robot is built with a material called "elastomers".

The team used a series of chambers that inflate like balloons to enable motion within the elastomer layer. The robot is capable of adopting different patterns of movement. The team also tested the robot on an obstacle course that would be impossible for metallic robots to cross. The new robot squeezed underneath a glass plate elevated 2cm above the ground in less than a minute through its movements.

The flexible robot is also less likely to get damaged in situations like falling on a rock, receiving bumps and scrapes from other hard objects.