Carnegie Mellon University’s Biorobotics Lab have developed a modular snake robot’s that mimics its real-life counterpart, thanks to 16 joints that enable it to twist around a cylindrical shape, like a leg as well as climb up / down. The current prototype is tethered by a power and control cable, but future versions may be completely wireless. Read more for a video and additional information.
Measuring just 2-inches in diameter and 37-inches long, the robot has already been used to investigate rubble in mock search-and-rescue missions, and in addition to being wireless, the team plans to make it water-proof as well.
Our robot can go places people can’t, particularly in areas of power plants that are radioactively contaminated. It can go up and around multiple bends, something you can’t do with a conventional borescope, a flexible tube that can only be pushed through a pipe like a wet noodle,” said Robotics Professor Howie Choset.
