omni thread..........snake ilike robot developed in michigan university

A virtually unstoppable "snakebot" developed by a University of Michigan team that resembles a high-tech slinky as it climbs pipes and stairs, rolls over rough terrain and spans wide gaps to reach the other side.
The 26-pound robot developed at the University of Michigan U-M College of Engineering is, called OmniTread. It moves by rolling, log-style, or by lifting its head or tail, inchworm-like, and muscling itself forward. The robot's unique tread design prevents it from stalling on rough ground, said Research Professor Johann Borenstein, the head of the mobile robotics lab at U-M.
The snake-shaped serpentine robot is propelled along by moving treads that cover 80 percent of its body. These treads prevent the snakebot from stalling or becoming stuck on rough terrain because, similar to a tire touching a road, t the treads propel the robot forward like a tire touching a road. Historically, scientists haven't had much success with wheeled and tracked robots on rough terrain because they constantly stall.
A human operator controls the snakebot via a joystick and umbilical cord, which also provides electric power, which sends commands to specially designed software. A smaller, but more self-contained version that is now under development will carry on - board power for one hour of tetherless operation

The OmniTread is divided into five box-shaped segments connected through the middle by a long drive shaft spine that drives the tracks of all segments. Bellow s in the joints connecting the sections inflate or deflate to make the robot turn or lift the segments. The bellows provide enough torque for the OmniTread to lift the two front or rear segments to climb objects.

In one test, the OmniTread climbed an 18-inch curb, which is over more than twice its height. It also crossed a 66 centimeter trench, which is half its length. In another test, it inched up a pipe by pushing against opposite walls.

The robot is ideal for hazardous inspections or surveillance in industrial or military applications Borenstein said. The research was to appear in the appears on the March 18 edition of the International Journal on Industrial Robots, in a special issue on mobile robots. The paper, "The OmniTread Serpentine Robot for Industrial Inspection and Surveillance, " was written by Borenstein and co-authors Malik Hansen and Grzegorz Granosik.

For a web video of OmniTread, see, and click on video clip: http://www.engin.umich.edu/research/mrl/00MoRob_6.html

Source: University of Michigan

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S1 Snake Robot Prototype

Materials: Basswood and brass.

Components: Discrete TTL Control Unit, 14 servos, 16 batteries, 2-channel radio control. S1 was a recreation of earlier work by Shigeo Hirose in Japan, in which a single train of deflection travels down the length of the snake. Oscillatory deflections cause the snake to move forward. An offset to the oscillations causes the snake to steer. The wheels on each segment allow the snake to slide along its length while gripping laterally. Novel features include the use of servos of different sizes along the length of the snake to give a more tapered appearance. This feature increases the realism and efficiency of the snake but means that each segment has to be custom designed. Remote control is achieved using a vertical joystick for speed, and a horizontal one for steering.

Snake Robot Prototype (2001-2005)

Materials: Expanded PVC plastic, steel rod, and plastic gears

S7 is an experimental prototype that is still under development. It was inspired by a Dr. Miller's encounter with a python. In particular it avoids using wheels to achieve locomotion by implementing a more advanced segment design. This allows for rectilinear locomotion. S7 is far more sophisticated electronically than previous snake robots in the series, including bidirectional packet-based radio and a variety of sensors.

S7 under construction with initial sensor suite including compass, sonar and pyroelectric heat detectors

S7 final sensor suite including compass, pyroelectric heat and active infrared range sensors

c the sensors.....d snake equipped wid.......these sensors r mainly used by d bot 2 enter a closed obscure hole n can safely return back from it ........is'nt it rocks??