A unique blob-like robot that is wet, fleshy and capable of squeezing through tiny holes is exciting scientists and horrifying bloggers.
The "Chembot" was unveiled at a robotics conference in the US last week and is the result of a multi-million dollar grant from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The robot moves by inflating and deflating parts of its body via a process called "jamming", which causes its silicone skin to change between semi-liquid and solid states.
DARPA hopes the robot will be able to assist in military search-and-rescue operations, where its ability to navigate through small openings such as tiny cracks in walls could prove invaluable.
"We believe that a new class of soft, flexible, meso-scale mobile objects that can identify and manoeuvre through openings smaller than their dimensions to perform various tasks will be quite valuable in many missions," DARPA program manager Dr Mitchell Zakin said.
But some bloggers say the new era of blob robots is one step too far into the realm of science fiction horror.
"[It's] the newest monster to crawl from the hellish landscape of my nightmares," Ron Hogan wrote on the blog PopFi.
"No simple human fortification can withstand the onslaught of a thousand Chembots, all thirsting to lubricate their synthetic silicon skin with human blood!"
Several others made reference to the 1958 horror film The Blob, which featured an antagonist similar to the Chembot.
The creators of the robot are now working towards putting sensors on its body and giving it the ability to connect to other Chembots.
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