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A Modular Snake Robot

Posted by kdawson on from the snakes-in-a-pipe dept.

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?)"

10 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. Hollwood calls by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does anyone else smell a "Snakes on a Plane" sequel?

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Oblig by styryx · · Score: 3, Funny

    I, for one....snake robots....etc....overlords.

  3. Unfortunately by d3ac0n · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

    --
    Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
  4. Impressive by Degreeless · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.

  5. Old news by garett_spencley · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I ordered one of these for my wife as a gift a little while ago. She gave me the weirdest "freaked out" look.

    Yeah kind of like your expression right now ...

    1. Re:Old news by garett_spencley · · Score: 4, Funny

      Only on /. can a racy joke about robotic development and what women do alone in their bedrooms get modded "Interesting".

  6. Robot Snakes by verbalcontract · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

    Oh, so real snakes aren't scary enough? I have to worry about robot snakes too?

  7. Old hat by Lars+Clausen · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The ability to climb poles (and legs) is cute, but apart from that, Xerox PARC had a modular robot in 2000 that could not only be a snake, but could reconfigure itself into a ball or a spider to go faster or to traverse difficult terrain. It was extremely nifty, but like so much else from Xerox PARC, they never capitalized much on it.

    -Lars

    1. Re:Old hat by PlatyPaul · · Score: 5, Informative

      You're referring to Polybot, which has Generation I listed at 1997. Polybot is a bit more flexible (har har) due to the fact that each module is entirely self-sufficient (aside from power, which they can channel from module to module as needed), although I haven't seen a demo of it handling water....

      "Already done" notwithstanding, it's nice to see a robot succeed so well in such varied scenarios.

      --
      Misery loves company. Online misery loves unsuspecting random strangers.
  8. Missing option ... by BESTouff · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nice but ... can it fly ?