Danish researchers have designed a cutting-edge origami snake robot capable of searching for survivors in disaster zones and potentially exploring distant planets. The device moves through space via linear propulsion, akin to how real snakes typically slither.
As people typically picture a snake slithering along the ground, they likely envision the reptile flexing its body in a sinuous, horizontal arc. While the actual truth is that snakes typically employ a range of four primary methods for locomotion, including the serpentine style.
When snakes need to navigate through narrow openings, they cannot effectively slither their bodies back and forth in a straightforward manner. The snake’s body remains taut as it contracts and relaxes a sequence of muscles, starting at its head and progressing along its length to its tail.
As the snake’s underskin proves more pliable than its lateral counterpart, it expands significantly more with each muscular contraction due to its unique suppleness. As the snake moves, its scales and skin on the underside continuously contract and expand, allowing them to slide forward in a series of subtle, overlapping movements, effectively creating a gripping action similar to tire treads that propels the serpent’s body forward.
Utilizing a unique form of rectilinear locomotion, the innovative robo-snake has harnessed this movement principle for its novel design. Developed at the College of Southern Denmark, a team spearheaded by engineering Ph.D. candidate Burcu Seyidoğlu and Professor Ahmad Rafsanjani.
College of Southern Denmark
The robot’s physical structure comprises interconnected modules fabricated from a lightweight, advanced material blend combining the world’s most robust synthetic fibre, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), ensuring unparalleled durability and strength. The textile is laser-cut and intricately folded like origami, resulting in a series of delicate bellows formed by each phase of the process.
Within each phase’s underside lies a compact, semi-air-permeable pocket, crafted from identical textile material. A silicone tube situated internally in the robot dispenses intermittent blasts of pressurized air into the inflatable sacs, causing them to expand and then contract as the air escapes. As the pouches continuously cycle through this process, they propel the robot forward.
Compared to most designs we’ve encountered, the Danish model stands out for being notably lighter and more cost-effective to build, with its flexible and pliable material allowing it to navigate narrow spaces with greater ease. While advancing, it will maintain a steady posture.
Researchers are currently focused on integrating an air pump into the robotic body, while also enhancing the robot’s velocity and allowing it to pivot in either direction. It is envisioned that a future, autonomous and sensor-equipped robot may be capable of discovering survivors trapped under debris at disaster sites or potentially fulfilling other serpentine objectives.
Watch the robo-snake in action as it slithers across the screen in the accompanying video below. The latest findings from a comprehensive study were recently published in a reputable academic journal. .
Researchers have developed a novel snake-like robot crafted from origami-folded textiles.
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