Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who develop snake-like robots have picked up a few tricks from real sidewinder rattlesnakes on how to make rapid and even sharp turns with their undulating, modular device.

Working with colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Zoo Atlanta, they have analyzed the motions of sidewinders and tested their observations on CMU’s 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 – and how changing the phase and amplitude of the waves enables snakes to achieve exceptional maneuverability.

“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, professor at CMU’s Robotics Institute. “By learning from real sidewinders, 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.”

Carnegie Mellon University’s latest robot is called Snake Monster, but with six articulated legs, it looks more like an insect than a snake. It really doesn’t matter what you call it, says its inventor, Howie Choset, because the whole point of the project is to make modular robots that can easily be reconfigured to meet a user’s needs.

The walking robot, developed in just six months, is only one example of the robots that eventually can be built using this modular system, said Choset, a professor in CMU’s Robotics Institute. His team already is working on modules such as force-sensing feet, wheels and tank-like treads that will enable the assembly of totally different robots.

“By creating a system that can be readily reconfigured and that also is as easy to program, we believe we can build robots that are not only robust and flexible, but also inexpensive,” Choset said. “Modularity has the potential to rapidly accelerate the development of traditional industrial robots, as well as all kinds of new robots.”

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency sponsored this work through its Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program, which focuses on ways to design and build robots more rapidly and enhance their ability to manipulate objects and move in natural environments.

Stephen Smith, a systems engineer and a student in the Robotics Institute’s Master of Science Robotics Systems Development program, already hopes to revolutionize the food industry by making it easier to clean out peanut butter jars and other food containers.

As CEO of Jar With A Twist, Smith is working to find vendors interested in using the next-generation container, which uses a screw thread to move the contents of the jar to the top.

The MRSD curriculum provides a broad education in the sciences and technologies of robotics, reinforces theory through hands-on laboratory projects and exposes students to practical business principles and skills. Graduates are being trained to go on to roles such as chief technology officers and other executive roles at companies.

“We give them the tools and vocabulary and make them aware of how the world really works so they can hit the ground running much, much faster,” said MRSD Director Hagen Schempf.