Newly released footage from a 5-kilogram exploration robot gave the public a detailed look inside one of the Great Pyramid of Giza’s most inaccessible shafts, renewing interest in the monument’s hidden architecture and purpose.
The videos appeared in two parts on the Ancient Architects YouTube channel. The robot, built at the University of Leeds for the Djedi Project, traveled more than 60 meters up a 20-centimeter-square passage that rises from the Queen’s Chamber at about a 40-degree angle.
“I am very excited to publish the documentary exclusively on YouTube,” said Matthew Sibson, the founder of Ancient Architects. “But the nine hours of raw footage are what really excite me as an independent scholar of ancient history,” he added.
Near the top of the shaft, the machine found a blocking stone. By extending a flexible camera arm through a gap beside the stone, it filmed a sealed chamber containing colored symbols painted directly on the floor—markings unseen for about 4,500 years.
Work on the robot began in 2010, when Professor Rob Richardson of the University of Leeds partnered with Hong Kong dentist Tze Chuen Ng. The team had to create a platform small and light enough to operate without damaging ancient masonry.
“No one knows the purpose of the shaft. There have been speculations that it could be an air vent or perhaps access to a burial chamber,” said Richardson. He noted that the presence of artwork suggested a more important role.
After almost five years of development, the engineers completed the 5-kilogram unit. About 50 meters into the shaft it met the first stone; a second stone deeper in the tunnel prevented further progress, leaving the extent of the passage unknown.
Security concerns in Egypt later halted onsite work, and researchers could not build tools to bypass the second obstruction. Examination now depends on the recorded images, which have already prompted Egyptologists to rethink the combination of engineering and ritual intent within the pyramid.
The footage also demonstrated the value of minimally invasive robotics and international cooperation, showing that fragile historic spaces can be explored without human entry.
Produced with the assistance of a news-analysis system.