9th June 2021 9:34 am 9th June 2021 9:34 am Researchers in Australia have developed WomBot, a robot that can be used to explore and study environmental conditions within wombat burrows. Image by Vic M from Pixabay The team hopes to provide a solution for reducing the spread of sarcoptic mange, a serious disease that affects wombats due to parasitic mites. The mites are thought to be transmitted when wombats move every four to ten days to occupy a different burrow. Published in the journal SN Applied Sciences, the new study from La Trobe University and the University of Tasmania describes how the WomBot has been utilised to study whether environmental conditions within burrows promote sarcoptic mange transmission.