Robot to Drill into Great Pyramid Mystery

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only Ancient Wonder of the World that's still in existence. But even 4,500 years after it was built (by real Egyptians, not aliens), much of it still hasn't been explored. The reason doesn't have to do with a curse, but a door deep in the heart of the structure that won't open.

To get past that door, a team of researchers from Leeds University developed a robot that can drill right through it. But it's not so simple.

There are two rooms in the middle of the Pyramid, and they're called the Queens Chamber and the Kings Chamber. Two shafts lead from the Queen's Chamber, but no one knows why they exist. It's still a mystery, because those shafts each have doors that can't open, and some Egyptologists think an important discovery lies behind it.

I won't raise expectations for what's behind this door, to avoid any comparisons to Geraldo Rivera and his infamous unveiling of Al Capone's Vault, which turned out to be a dud.

But Zahi Hawass, one of the experts leading the Egyptian expedition, told The Independent, "It looks as if (the door) is screening or covering something."

It's not the first door researchers have encountered within this shaft. In 2002, an expedition drilled through one door only to reveal another door eight inches behind the first. The drill they used last time just won't cut it this time around.

Robert Richardson, an engineer working on the robot at Leeds University told The Independent, "We are preparing the robot now and expect to send it up before the end of the year. It's a big question, and it's very important not to cause unnecessary damage."

He was trying to allay concerns that some people have raised over whether a robot can safely drill in the ancient monument. He says his team has worked to make it as safe as possible.