The $4.2 million robot, known as the i-Snake, is being developed at Imperial College in London, the BBC reported Saturday.

The flexible tube, with motors, sensors and imaging tools, for "keyhole" surgeries will enable doctors to perform complex procedures in the heart, bowel and stomach now possible only through more invasive techniques, the BBC reported.

"Gone are the days when the surgeon's knife ruled in the operating theater. The future of surgery is in smart devices like i-Snake," said Dr. Ted Bianco, director of technology transfer at the Wellcome Trust.