Worms navigate narrow paths faster than wide ones – these findings could inform robot design

A physicist studying California blackworms found that both simulated and real worms moved through narrow channels faster than wide ones, taking nearly three times as long to escape wider channels in tests using 12-centimeter tubes with widths from 1 to 8 millimeters. This contradicts the behavior of passive molecules like DNA, which typically slow down in tighter confinement.

The explanation offered is that narrow channels kept the self-propelled worms aligned with the direction of travel, while wider channels gave them room to pause, bend, and explore sideways, slowing their progress. The findings, arising from simulations of simple self-propelling chains before being confirmed in live worms, are suggested to have implications for designing flexible robots that navigate confined spaces.

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