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A Modular Snake Robot
StCredZero writes "Researchers at CMU are working on a Modular Snake Robot. A video from this site is up on YouTube. In addition to being able to traverse a wide variety of terrain, the robot can also climb poles, the inside of pipes and conduits, small grooves in walls, and probably more. It can also swim. Many robots can do one of those tasks. This one can do them all. That's quite an accomplishment. This has tremendous potential for the maintenance of fiber optic networks, pipelines, and plumbing in large buildings; and also as a spy device. (I wonder how loud it is?)"
They are still all Tethered units, which limits their functionality. Of course, they are still in the development stage, so a tethered unit is to be expected.
It will be interesting to see if they can progress beyond tethered to wireless, and finally to fully autonomous units. I would imagine that they will need to get a bit bigger to accommodate the extra electronics needed.
Still, a very cool and potentially VERY useful technology.
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I bet this would be an amazing tool for Police, Swat and the likes. I bet our boys over seas could find some uses for it as well to sneak into places undetected.
Too bad it's probably really loud on hard surfaces and requires a massive cable bundle...
It is an impressive feat though there ae issues of range, woth it being tethered it it's control/power, and also its application for maintenance may be limited to identifying faults depending upon whether suitable tools could be made withoput hampering the movement of the snake.
Issues aside it also looks very cool, if a little creepy when it's climbing uyp that guy's leg.
Why does every summary involving robots contain a line in the summary about possible spy usage?
It's like the editors are wearing my tinfoil hat for me...
The problem we are at is that any robots we make have crap movement and physical structure but we can 100% control their brain.
On the alternative, live animals have the movement we desire sadly we have yet to 100% control their brains.