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MIT Researchers Build A Robotic Snail

Posted by timothy on from the cool-hobbies dept.

kiwimate writes "MIT researchers have built what might be the world's first robotic snail. It has two purposes: to understand how a snail moves, and to observer how liquids behave at a very small scale. Evidently, studying snail slime is a rather interesting pasttime. Lots of interesting details on sort of results might eventuate from this project."

31 comments

  1. Since it's a snail by Lady+Jazzica · · Score: 4, Funny

    I bet it took them forever to build it...

    1. Re:Since it's a snail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This does not bode well for job security down at the DMV...

  2. How long until... by Embedded+Geek · · Score: 2, Funny

    someone develops robotic salt?

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    "Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."

    1. Re:How long until... by fehlschlag · · Score: 3, Funny

      Just embed Windows CE into the poor sucker.

    2. Re:How long until... by Embedded+Geek · · Score: 1
      Hey! No fair reading my previous posts!

      I mean, no one ever does usually!

      *GRIN*

      --

      "Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."

    3. Re:How long until... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Somebody already has. It's called water.

  3. So slow... by fehlschlag · · Score: 2, Funny

    My 8-year old machine with cutting edge Windows OS (for the time) feels like a robotic snail.

  4. MIT Researchers Build A Robotic Snail by danratherfan · · Score: 1, Funny

    It's about frigin' time.

  5. Re:I'm just wondering... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's no good answer to that question.

  6. Studying Snail Slime by Stonan · · Score: 1, Funny

    say that 5 times fast...

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    The GEEK shall inherit the earth...
  7. Liquids on a small scale? by tsa · · Score: 2, Informative

    It wasn't very clear in the article how this snail helps in the study of liquids on small scales. Can someone tell me more about this?

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    -- Cheers!

    1. Re:Liquids on a small scale? by Bowling+Moses · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, it's not exactly clear. Being a little cynical, it might be a researcher who wanted to do something weird (build a snailbot to see if it could be done) then PT Barnumed it to get some funding. Not meant to be insulting or to say this is how it really is, just that sometimes people do get funding this way. I know of a guy who gets craploads of money from the US Navy to develop underwater adhesives when all he really is interested in is how mussels stick to rocks so tightly. Does good work too, just kinda off on a tangent to what he's getting the money for.

    2. Re:Liquids on a small scale? by fugu · · Score: 1

      my friend brian built the thing. he's reading this over my shoulder, so here's what he says:

      "to be honest, they kinda blew it out of proportion. it doesn't have much to do with microfluidics. after building a water strider, i wanted to make a snail =b"

      here's a link to a couple of his other projects

    3. Re:Liquids on a small scale? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That researcher would be me. The snail was not my main research project, just a very SMALL side project of mine, but like fugu said I said, I think they blew it out of proportion. Rest assured, I didn't spend more then a few bucks developing robosnail.

      The link with microfluids is just this simple one: that very small fluid devices can be simulated with larger devices using viscous fluids. that is all.

      As for the mussel guy and the adhesives - well it makes a lot of sense to me to study mussels, I wouldn't call it a tangent, since mussels do secrete a powerful underwater adhesive.

    4. Re:Liquids on a small scale? by tsa · · Score: 1

      Cool, I got an answer from the Creator Himself! Thanks for enlightening me!

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      -- Cheers!

  8. Galloping Robosnails by henrygb · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Robosnail page suggests they will next be looking at undulating movements. But galloping on one foot would be more interesting - it's how snails leave footprints.

    1. Re:Galloping Robosnails by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "That snail will never keep up."

      "Don't worry it's a *racing* snail!"

  9. Lab-on-a-chip connection? by Laur · · Score: 3, Interesting
    From the article:

    Although the project is not directly involved with medical science, Hosoi says there is hope it could lead to advances in the field, particularly in one aspect known as "lab on a chip." Just as silicon chips revolutionized computer electronics, the "lab on a chip" may spawn miniaturized machines or methods for providing medical treatment.

    The robotic snail could play a key role in the drive toward smaller devices.

    How are they making this connection? I fail to see how studying snail locomotion in any way affects lab-on-a-chip technology. Is snail locomoton being considered to mobilize lab-on-a-chips? How would you miniturize the mechanical components as well as prodce the slime? Other technologies seem much better suited if you need a mobile lab-on-a-chip. The article talks about the robotic snail, then discusses lab-on-a-chip, then switches back to slugs at the end. Overall a very poorly written article extremey lacking in any technical detail or cohesiveness. Not that I expect much from Yahoo News or anything.

    --
    When you lose something irreplaceable, you don't mourn for the thing you lost, you mourn for yourself. - Harpo Marx
    1. Re:Lab-on-a-chip connection? by Stuy+2+MIT · · Score: 1

      It's a layman article, and isn't meant to be anything more than that. The connection really is poor, though. However, the study of "microfluids" really is important for specialized applications. A technical descriptions is available here:

      http://www.devicelink.com/ivdt/archive/00/11/008 .h tml

      I find the name "lab on a chip" misleading.

  10. Interesting pasttime?? by Alsee · · Score: 2, Funny

    Evidently, studying snail slime is a rather interesting pasttime.

    Oh man, and I thought *I* was a nerd.

    -

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    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  11. Cyborg snail says... by know_gnus · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'll be back... later... much later...

  12. Sponsor's Influence by SEWilco · · Score: 2, Funny

    Of course, because the sponsor of their research is Nickelodeon, they are studying the characteristics of Lime, Cherry, and catapulted Slime.

  13. verbiage by Hubert_Shrump · · Score: 3, Funny

    Lots of interesting details on sort of results might eventuate from this project.

    Reread it.
    Reread it..
    Reread it...

    My head explodes.

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    Keep your packets off my GNU/Girlfriend!
  14. The secrets of slime by DigiShaman · · Score: 2, Funny

    "MIT scientists try to unlock the medical secret of slime" If you really want the answer to that, just observe attorneys in action.

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    Life is not for the lazy.
  15. Punctuation, Spelling, and Grammar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There shouldn't be a comma after the word moves. "Pasttime" should be spelled pastime. The last doesn't make any sense.

    1. Re:Punctuation, Spelling, and Grammar by inode_buddha · · Score: 1

      How about PastSlime?

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      C|N>K
  16. my first thought... by lylum · · Score: 1

    yuck!!