It looks like Snakebots are actually turning into useful little guys. Far from being robotic novelties, this type of demonstration shows that for some very common tasks, snake robots really are the best (and maybe only) way to go.

[ CMU Snakebots ]

CMU just posted this new vid of their Snakebot (Modsnake) climbing a tree and looking around. It’s still tethered, but it’s a snake, so that just makes it seem more snakey. This isn’t the first video we’ve seen of CMU’s Snakebot climbing stuff, but it’s the first one we’ve seen outside of the lab, so that counts for something, right? Sure!

[ CMU Biorobotics ] VIA [ Hizook ]

This is another one of those stories that comes from a cool YouTube vid with not much in the way of background, but we do know that this particular snakebot comes from CMU’s Biorobotics Laboratory modular snake robot project. We’ve covered their snake robots before (a few times), but this version certainly looks to be the most evolved.

A couple more vids, after the jump. (Read more…)

Okay, so this is not exactly your first introduction to the squiggly world of snakebots, but I liked the introduction to this particular robot, which is called OmniTread. It’s called OmniTread because, as you may have guessed, it is utterly betreadified, with treads on pretty much every available surface. OmniTread is made up of a series of independent square-ish segments (I think a three dimensional rectangle is technically called a “prism”) connected by three pressurized tubes, the rigidity of which can be independently adjusted to control the angle between OmniTread’s segments to a useful degree.

There are two version of OmniTread: one that can fit through an 8 inch hole that weighs 26 pounds, and a smaller bot that can fit through a 4 inch hole and only weighs 5.5 pounds, including on board power systems. The small robot also has the capability to “latch on and travel along small diameter objects such as water pipes, electric overhead wires, or on-wall electric conduits.” Developed by the University of Michigan, OmniTread is designed for rescue and inspection duties where humans either can’t go or really don’t want to go.

This is not a new robot, with the 8 inch diameter version from 2005 and the 4 inch diameter version from 2007 or 2008. Now it’s 2010, which means that even if these snakebots only followed a linear development path (and exponential is much more likely), we’d be looking at a half pound snakebot that can fit through two inch holes and probably feeds on kittens or something for power. Or maybe the project was concluded. I’m not sure. But if you see one, run very far away, and then let me know.

[ OmniTread ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

If you liked the video of the Carnegie Mellon snake robots we posted last week, here’s a follow-up showing a bunch of different movement tests, complete with a headache-inducing techno soundtrack. And if you still want more, seek help, and then watch the original video on these robots that we posted in March of last year.

[ ModSnake ]

We’ve seen our share of robot snakes, but as far as I can remember, this is the first one that can blow itself up. Oh, it’s designed to do plenty of other things too… The Israelis have developed it primarily for surveillance. The two meter long, camo covered bot sends back audio and video, and can lift itself up to get a better look around. It looks quite mobile, if a little spazzy, but I bet you’d be spazzy too if you were packed with explosives in case you end up crawling underneath a target that’s more valuable than you are. Yeah, I’d rather take a bath with one of these than find an exploding robosnake under my bed.

[ Jerusalem Post ] VIA [ Engadget ]

We like snakebots around here. We really really really really do. Anna Konda has to be one of my favorites, though, and not just because of her hilaaaaarious name. No, I like Anna because she has an integrated super soaker. Check it out toward the end of this vid:

Anna Konda is 3 meters long, weighs 75 kilos, and has 20 joints, each with 33 degrees of freedom. The robot doesn’t just shoot water, it’s actually powered by water. Each joint module contains hydraulic valves and cylinders capable of handling up to 1450 psi of water pressure. The disadvantage of water power is that the robot isn’t likely too be able to operate untethered, but that’s okay, since Anna Konda is designed to be a fire fighting robot. The high water pressure that powers the robot makes it very strong, and also serves to keep it cool while winding its way through flaming danger zones like tunnel fires, burning buildings, or near explosives or hazardous chemicals. And before you ask, yes… You can attach it to your garden hose and it’ll wiggle around and water your plants for you.

SINTEF (somehow an acronym for The Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research, it’s in Norway) is currently looking for collaborating partners to develop a complete system.

[ SINTEF ]

I’m not generally one to get freaked out by snakes. My best friend (who is coincidentally my pet) is a bigass black snake, in fact. I’m also not generally one to get freaked out by robots (with some exceptions). If I did, I probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as I have in this job. Combine the two, and I’m still good… Or I thought I was, until I saw this thing. Just wait for it to jump in the pool:

Guh. So creepy. ACM-R5 (as it is fetchingly known) moves the same way snakes do, by being slippery only in the direction it wants to go (thanks to wheels on its lateral fins) and undulating its body to push against the ground. The same type of motion works just as well in water, which is great, just great. The control system, at least, is cool in a non-terrifying way:

The control system of ACM-R5 is an advanced one. Each joint unit has CPU, battery, motors, so they can operate independently. Through communication lines each unit exchanges signals and automatically recognizes its number from the head, and how many units join the system. Thanks to this system operators can remove, add, and exchange units freely and they can operate ACM-R5 flexibly according to situations.

Super, so it can get infinitely long and if you destroy one module, another can take its place. That’s brilliant, really it is. Just keep it the hell away from me, mkay?

[ Hirose Fukushima Lab ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]

What’s better than robots with six legs? Robots with no legs. Especially the ones that not only like to get frisky with humans, but that can also be found crawling around all of those horror movie type places (OMG they’re coming in through the vents! Everybody panic!!!). It’s not just fun and games and terror, though, there’s some fancy hardware and software going on too:

This work considers two issues: snake robot locomotion and modular robot design. We achieve snake robot locomotion by designing gaits, which are cyclic internal motions that allow the mechanism to interact with the environment to propel itself forward. Our gaits enable snake robots to maneuver through a variety three-dimensional terrains and include swimming and climbing. The robots, themselves, are a modular chain of single degree of freedom units each powered by a low-cost, yet modified, hobby servo that we call the Super Servo. We have updated the internal electronics in the servo as well as created new mechanism designs so as to optimize efficiency and robustness.

I especially like the rolling motion, since as far as I know, that’s something that living snakes don’t do… Or at least, my snake did not appreciate me trying to get her to emulate it.

[ Modular Snake Bots ] VIA [ Make ]

My pet snake is capable of climbing up walls, but I’m pretty sure she isn’t able to stand on her tail and dance. Nor does she have blue LEDs. I guess Merlin Robotics’ “Snake” has my pet snake beat no hands down, but at least she’s not all cold and unfeeling and- Sigh. Nevermind. This robotic piece of interactive art stands 2 meters tall, and is powered pneumatically by 28 artificial muscles called “humaniform air muscles,” which are rubber balloons covered by a Kevlar mesh. They emulate natural muscles; as they inflate, they contract, just like your bicep. In contrast to standard motors and stuff, the air muscles are a very light and compliant technology. 19 sensors help keep Snake upright, and apparently, it’ll react to people by “dancing” with them… I’m not sure exactly how this is supposed to work, but I’d pay good money for someone to give it a hula hoop.

Snake will go on display at the London Science Museum’s DANA Center in April of this year.

[ Merlin Robotics Robosnake ] VIA [ Primidi ]