Skeletron, the large, wiry robot that looks like a character out of the Terminator film franchise and is able to slide up a rope of its own accord, returns to the Edinburgh International Science Festival (25 March - 5 April) with new robot technology - the Skelebug.
"To complement her rope climbing skills, Skeletron now drives her very own vehicle. The Skelebug is a prototype which will be unveiled at this year's Edinburgh International Science Festival," said robot inventor Ray Tait.
Skeletron (pictured), which uses natural gas to perform her rope-climbing feat, is part of a range of family events taking place under the Wonderama banner, running at the Assembly Rooms during the course of the fortnight-long Science Festival. Many of the events are hands-on with robot -building, photography, hydrogen-powered rocket building and dinosaur unearthing.
Star events
Other events at Wonderama this year include a recreation of a darkened burial chamber of an Egyptian Pharaoh in "Unwrapping the Mummy." Visitors will be able to unwrap the mummy bandages to discover who they were and how they died.
You can also listen to the underwater sounds of Amazonian dolphins and use real bat detectors to track down the nighttime predators in "Jungle Safari."
Budding doctors can get a hard start by performing sometimes gory operations on an unlucky patient in "ER Surgery" - which this year has had a makeover with the help of Queen Margaret University's School of Health Sciences - using real surgical equipment with real doctors.
All ages
Other activities include Mini Machines and glowing face paint in the UV Light Zone. For grown-ups there are two photographic exhibitions hanging in the Assembly Rooms - Molecular Machines in the festival café, and Infin8 in the Stairwell, a collection of big images of the tiny and magnified world of plants and insects.
Skeletron's ten-minute performances will be on the hour from 10am each day at the Assembly Rooms. Wonderama is open from Tuesday 25 March to Saturday 5 April from 9.30am to 4.30pm (Closed Sunday 30 March).
Day Pass prices: Adults £6.50, Adult (concessions) £5, 7+ £8.50, 3-6 £5, Under 3's FREE. Day passes include unlimited events. As some events (Star Attractions) have limited spaces up to 3 can be reserved at time of booking. Ticket Hotline on 0131 524 9830. Further info on www.sciencefestival.co.uk.