Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that California blackworms (Lumbriculus variegatus) move more quickly through narrow channels than wider ones. The findings, published July 28 in *Physical Review Letters*, could inform the design of wormlike robots for applications like search and rescue or medical procedures.
The study involved observing the worms as they navigated water-filled glass channels. The team found that when the channels were approximately twice the width of the worms, they could traverse the length in about a minute. However, in wider channels, the worms took up to five times longer. Computer simulations using a “beads-on-a-string” model mirrored the behavior of the live worms.
Physicist K.R. Prathyusha explained that the worms’ speed is related to their flexibility and the amount of space they have to move. “It was much faster in the smallest confinement,” she said. In wider channels, the worms expend energy reorienting themselves, while the constricted space forces them to use the walls for support and move forward directly.
Biomolecular engineer Saad Bhamla, also at CU Boulder, believes the research has implications for robotics. He suggests the findings could help engineers create autonomous, soft robots capable of inspecting pipes or delivering drugs within the body. Physicists usually seek a single parameter to explain a phenomenon, and in this case, the team determined that the ratio of the channel’s width squared to the worm’s stiffness is key. A smaller ratio indicates less flexibility and faster movement.
Bioengineer and roboticist David Hu at Georgia Tech, who was not involved in the study, noted the unusual finding. “That is very rare in nature, that if you have less navigation room, things get faster,” he said. Physicist Raghunath Chelakkot at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, also not involved, highlighted the complexity of biological systems and the interesting nature of this discovery.
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