Prototype surgical microrobot. Cleo, a microrobot, between the fingers of a hand. Cleo was designed as a prototype for possible future surgical robots. At about 3.5cm on each side, Cleo is small enough to fit inside the colon of an adult. It is equipped with a tiny claw to grasp or carry objects, two small antennae for obstacle avoidance and tilt sensors. Cleo may be steered by a joystick, or navigate under its own guidance. Future versions, hardened against the hostile chemical environment of the human body, might be able to perform surgical tasks such as polyp removal. Cleo was designed by James McLurkin at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.