Professor Creates Robotic Snakes

Many people do not like snakes but that didn’t stop Howie Choset from designing his own robotic reptile. The Professor made them in hopes that one day they can save lives by crawling through a collapsed building for still trapped victims. The devices are remote controlled and they have recently been able to make them slither up and around pipes.

 

  

“Right now, the way to get to these trapped survivors is to pull the rubble out one rock at a time,” Choset said. “So our dream is to have the snake robot thread through this collapsed rubble and get to victims more quickly.”

 

 

The machines are being designed to hold and carry cameras as well as sensors. Professor Choset has said that it may be another five to ten years before the snake robots are ready for use by people like FEMA, police and firefighters.