We’ve all heard of snakes on a plane, but soon, snakes could be traveling on spaceships up to Mars. Robotic snakes, that is.
Instead of the Wall-E-like robot on wheels and tracks that explore Mars at present, mechanized snakes look likely to be the next robots on the Red Planet.
The European Space Agency and Norwegian researched are currently studying whether the robot snakes could more effectively explore Martian terrain.
"Snake robots are terrific at being versatile and being able to navigate a variety of terrains," Kevin Lipkin, who works at The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, told Mashable.
Lipkin said that snake robots can slither over sand, rocks, collapsed buildings, forests, mud, even through water, by moving just like their biological counterparts.
The snake robot could be stored on a rover and released on Mars to explore more difficult terrain. The snakes could crawl into spaces the rover can’t reach and take samples. It could also act as at extended robotic arm for the rover.
The idea is still being put through the motions, but the high-tech space robots, which range from three to ten feet long, are currently been put through their paces by Norwegian researchers to establish if they are a viable alternative.
The robots were initially built for earth missions, so if they do prove successful, it would take time to build space prototypes and the final models to send to Mars.
The study began in June and expect to have some answers by December, so CBR will keep you posted on the likelihood of the snakes going to Mars.
