Snakebots slithered like snakes into the rubble of collapsed buildings in Venezuela after the double earthquake on June 24, killing more than 5,000 people and leaving 16,740 injured. The robots, developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Biorobotics Lab, carried a video camera that could squeeze through tight spaces.

Howie Choset, head of the lab, explained that snake robots can get into volumes that machinery and people cannot, extending the visual reach of rescue workers safely, comparing it to minimally invasive surgery on a structure.

The team, prompted by Beatriz Gonzalez, flew from Pittsburgh to Miami and then to Venezuela within 24 hours, overcoming jet‑owner restrictions. They joined international teams in La Guaira for three days, deploying snakebots into holes and searching 15–20 feet of rubble, aiding efforts to locate survivors.

Although no survivors were found, the robots assisted a global effort that rescued nearly 6,500 people. Choset said Venezuelans were gracious and offered food. Future improvements include light‑based sensors for 3D mapping to guide robots beneath collapsed buildings. The United Nations requested nearly $300 million to aid more than 1.3 million affected, while the World Bank estimated damage at $19.6 billion.