Snakebot - a Robot that Maneuvers Like a Snake

We are always intrigued by biomimetic technologies that find answers based in imitating naturally developed systems. Mechanical locomotion that imitates animal locomotion is particularly interesting. So we liked finding this video of a robotic snake being which is developed by a team at Carnegie Mellon University.

The motion of the snake-bot would allow it to maneuver through tighter spaces than either people or other mechanisms can easily move through. According to the researchers, "Snake robots can use their many internal degrees of freedom to thread through tightly packed volumes accessing locations that people and machinery otherwise cannot use." The flexibility and maneuverability of the snakebot allow it to move through a wide range of terrain types, and could be useful for a range of tasks from building maintenance to field research.

See the video after the jump...

Many more videos are on the team's website, demonstrating a range of motions that the snakebot can perform.

Previously on EcoGeek: Flying Manta Ray, Flying Jellyfish, Robo-fish,

via: BoingBoing

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