If you think regular snakes are scary, try a robotic serpent that can scale ladders.

Japanese researchers at Kyoto University have unveiled a prototype 'robot snake' that can slither and curl around surfaces and climb just like the real thing.

Rather than just creating it to trigger nightmares, they believe it could one day be used to save lives.

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WHAT COULD IT BE USED FOR? Kyoto University researchers say the robot snake could be used to enter dangerous situations that are unsafe for humans. It may also be able to rescue humans that are stuck in hard to reach places. They developed an advanced gait for the device that could enable it to crawl through narrow pipes that would otherwise be inaccessible by search and rescue teams. What's more, a version of the device can be used underwater, perhaps to drag people in need of help out of flooded areas. Advertisement

Research on the device was presented at the International Conference on Intelligence Robots and Systems in Spain last week.

'We proposed a method of designing the target form of a snake robot by combining simple shapes such as straight line, circular arc and helix,' the researchers explain.

'In addition, the target form is realized by approximating the form of a snake robot to the target form.

'With this method, it is possible to intuitively design complicated movements.'

The robot snake is able to climb obstacles and coil around objects because it's made of smooth material that easily slides over surfaces.

It's made up of a series of 36 different 'joints' and links that enable it to bend into different angles.

Researchers refer to these joints, or grooves, as being similar to the pectinate muscles in the heart, which allow it to expand and contract.

It connects to a power supply and can be controlled by a PC, as well as a PlayStation controller.

Scientists even designed a specific gait for the machine that allows it to wrap around a pipe and gradually climb up.

'We designed a gait that climbs over a flange on pipe,' the researchers explained.

'With this method, snake robot can get over the flange by locally lifting the body while helically wrapping around a vertical pipe to prevent slipping down.'

The robot snake is able to climb obstacles and coil around objects because it's made of smooth material that easily slides over surfaces. It's made up of a series of 36 different 'joints'

It's unclear how fast the device is able to move, but it doesn't seem like it's going to be chasing you down the hall or up an elevator anytime soon, like the quadrupedal ANYmal robot

It's unclear how fast the device is able to move, but it doesn't seem like it's going to be chasing you down the hall or up an elevator anytime soon, like the quadrupedal ANYmal robot.

Instead, Kyoto University researchers say it could be used to enter dangerous situations that are unsafe for humans.

It may also be able to rescue humans that are stuck in hard to reach places.

The researchers have also developed an underwater version of the snake robot that could pull someone out of a body of water or a flooded area.

Meanwhile, another 'screwdriver' version is able to wiggle through narrow areas, such as a pipe.

What's more, its shape-shifting capabilities enable it to traverse various types of terrains, making it optimal for search-and-rescue operations.