A recent trend in robotics technology is the development of robotic snakes. These slithering devices are useful for their ability to access areas difficult or impossible for humans to reach. Several organizations have worked on variations of robotic snakes that would be hugely beneficial if they went into production.
Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute has developed a robotic snake about three feet long and two inches in diameter. It's equipped with a video camera and LED light at the head. No matter how much the snake twists and turns, the video images it transmits are always aligned with gravity.
This snake was recently tested at the Zwetendorf nuclear power plant in Austria. The facility was completed nearly 40 years ago, but never went into operation. This makes it a great site for movie and television filming and also for testing a robotic snake without the risk of radioactive contamination.
Results of the test were impressive. The snake navigated through different pipes and areas with multiple bends. Since it was attached to a power cord, the farthest the snake could travel was 60 feet, but its mobility was impressive. It would be able to reach places in a nuclear plant that are difficult for humans to access or unsafe due to radiation, and perform equipment inspections.
This snake can also be used for search and rescue operations. Victims trapped in rubble would be easier to locate and the device would be less likely to cause debris to cave-in.
Robotic snakes are being developed for other purposes. Scientists in Switzerland are developing AmphiBot which can swim in water like a lamprey or eel. The fourth generation of AmphiBot is being developed to detect pollution in lakes.
Norway’s SINTEF Group designed robotic snakes in 2008 to inspect and clean oil and gas pipelines. The firm has also developed a fire fighting snake that can spray water on a burning surface.
Snake-like robots have medical applications, too. In the UK, a minimally invasive robotic device designed to remove tumors is under research. Swiss and Dutch scientists are developing technology that makes tumors glow so that they would be more visible to surgical robots.
The common denominator with robotic snakes is that they can reach areas normally inaccessible or unsafe to humans. Many good ideas for applications are under development and if they reach production, they would be a revolutionary advance in robotics technology.
