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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?)"

3 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. 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 ...

  2. 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?

  3. 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.

    --
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