London ( CNN ) -- You could call it the humanoid robot 's more curvacious cousin . Slithering into confined spaces , tackling tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans , the Snake-arm robot can `` reach the unreachable '' say its UK inventors , OC Robotics . Managing director Rob Buckingham and technical director Andrew Graham developed their first prototype in 2001 from their base in Bristol , England , and they 've been perfecting the technology ever since . Today , with clients in the nuclear sector and others queuing up for a demonstration , the hard work is beginning to pay off . The technical challenge has been finding a way to channel energy into the snake-arm , Buckingham says . `` Just like the human arm , the big muscles that drive them are actually mounted on the back and tendons link the muscles to the joints , '' Buckingham said . `` Basically , we 've taken that principle to an extreme and use wire ropes as tendons and all the motors ( actuators ) that control the arm are at the base of the robot , '' he added . Made of steel , these `` wire ropes '' transfer the actuators ' mechanical power into the snake-arm , where a series of articulating links create a sinuous movement . They can be made to various lengths , but the width is crucial to the robot 's functional efficiency . `` Our rule of thumb is 30 to one ( a length 30 times the diameter ) is good for a robot that can do quite a lot of work , '' Buckingham said . The arms themselves are delivery mechanisms , Buckingham says , for a range of tools which can be fitted to the tip . Video cameras , lights , tack welding , cutting , gripping and swabbing gear are just a few of the tools OC Robotics has built , and all can be routed through the snake-arm 's hollow core . Both the arm and the tools are controlled by a human operator who uses nothing more complicated than a computer screen and a control pad borrowed from a video games console . Test your skills on the Snake-Arm Simulator . `` You 're not removing the person completely , but they are working much more safely . That 's what we 've seen in the nuclear sector , '' Buckingham said . In 2004 , OC carried out a complex maintenance job on a reactor in Sweden and last year , it successfully inspected a reactor in Ontario , Canada . `` It 's getting to the stage where our technology is quite mature , '' Buckingham said , `` and we 're looking for partners and customers who will actually grab hold of the opportunity . '' His wishes may soon be granted . Earlier this year the company demonstrated a 2.5 meter snake-arm fitted with swabbing , scooping and radiological probe tools to Sellafield , the UK 's primary nuclear decommissioning company . `` I have to admit that when I went down to see it I was a lot more impressed than I expected to be , '' said Phil Reeve , head of strategy and technical for Sellafield 's decommissioning directorate . `` We have places which ideally we do n't want to put people into and we do n't want to make big openings either -- we have situations where we want to know what is on the other side of a four-feet concrete wall , '' Reeve said . `` If we 've got something that can go in and is sufficiently dextrous to maneuver around obstacles and can get out again then it potentially has some big advantages , '' he added . The savings could run into millions of dollars , Reeve believes , but clearly there are more important things at stake . `` If we can reduce the number of times that somebody has to put on a plastic suit in hazardous environments then there 's a huge benefit in that which goes beyond ( money ) , '' Reeve said . Buckingham is hopeful the company can help with the cleanup operation at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan . An offer has been made he says , but as yet , no reply has been received . In the meantime , other industrial partners are being sought . Aviation giants Airbus and Boeing are looking at how the technology might aid inspection of the confined spaces inside wings and fuselages during the manufacturing process . Demonstrations have also been requested by both U.S. and UK government defense agencies into how the snake-arm could enhance remote vehicle inspection . Doctors and patients may also be beneficiaries in the future too as OC Robotics works on a snake-arm which could one day perform natural orifice surgery . `` Our prototype signals a direction of travel and is a milestone towards exploring a new surgical paradigm , '' Buckingham said .
Snake - arm robot aims to ` ` reach the unreachable '' according to UK government . Nuclear industry has used the equipment for maintenance and testing . OC Robotics ' robot could help cleanup at Fukushima power plant in Japan . Robot could be used for open orifice surgery in the future .