Robots slithered like snakes into the rubble of collapsed buildings to search for trapped survivors in Venezuela’s aftermath, following two earthquakes that struck on June 24th.

The so-called snake robots represented a unique technological aid for international search and rescue efforts. Rescuers from around the world used trained dogs, seismic and acoustic listening devices, video cameras on sticks, or thermal imaging cameras, but the snakebots equipped with a video camera could squeeze through tight spaces to search deep within fallen building debris.

The reason why snake robots are useful is they can get into tightly packed volumes that machinery and people otherwise cannot, and that’s important in search and rescue because we were able to extend the visual reach of the rescue workers in a safe way,” said Howie Choset, head of the Biorobotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University.

Each 4-foot-long snakebot is modular in design with individual body segments that can be swapped out and easily replaced or upgraded. A human operator directs the robot using a video game controller and a control case laptop tethered to the robot, but software algorithms allow the robot to autonomously coordinate the body segments for the appropriate body movements when being directed to travel from point A to B.

Choset and his colleagues have spent nearly two decades developing different versions of the snake robots that can explore archaeological sites, swim underwater and even assist with minimally invasive surgery. But they first put the snake robot to the test in search and rescue scenarios following an earthquake that struck Mexico City on September 19th, 2017, when they helped search a collapsed apartment building.