Scientists Examine Real Rattlesnakes to Create Snake Robots

First Posted: Mar 24, 2015 07:45 AM EDT
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Scientists may have picked up a few tips and tricks from the rattlesnake as they designed their undulating snake-like robots. They've looked at the real thing in order to create a robot capable of taking rapid and even sharp turns.

In their latest efforts, the researchers teamed up with Zoo Atlanta to analyze the motions of sidewinders before testing their observations on their snake robots. They showed how the complex motion of a sidewinder can be described in terms of two wave motions: vertical and horizontal body waves.

"We've been programming snake robots for years and have figured out how to get these robots to crawl amidst rubble and through or around pipes," said Howie Choset, one of the researchers, in a news release. "By learning from real sidwinders, however, we can make these maneuvers much more efficient and simplify user control. This makes our modular robots much more valuable as tools for urban search-and-rescue tasks, power plant inspections and even archaeological exploration."

Using an earlier model and with a method to analyze the movements of living snakes, the researchers saw that sidewinders make gradual changes in direction by altering the horizontal wave while keeping the vertical wave constant. They also found that making a large phase shift in the vertical wave allowed the snake to make a sharp turn in the opposite direction.

"By looking for insights in nature, we were able to dramatically improve the control and maneuverability of the robot while at the same time using the robot as a tool to test the theorized control mechanisms of biological sidewinders." said Henry Astley, one of the researchers.

The robot could be used to tackle tough terrain, and could make a robot that can maneuver in ways that other robots and devices annot.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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