Naked Snake Robots Need Some Skin

The snake robots from OC Robotics can work their way into almost any nook or cranny you can think of. OC Robotics makes models that enter tight areas ranging from squirming up the intestines to crawling around inside a nuclear reactor.


But they still have not been able to perfect a skin for their robots. One reason the snake robots need skin is to keep them seperate from the environment. The snake may not work so well with water up in its electronic guts. And people may not react so well to greasy snake-joint lubricants left behind in their guts.
Beyond protection though, a snake skin with sensors would add a whole new dimension to the robots' perceptual world.

That is why OC robotics is working with commercial partners and universities to engineer a new snake skin.

They recently announced that they have partnered with Airbus to improve robot arms to perform inspections deep inside airplane wings. They also have joint work going with Northrop Grumman's Remotec bomb robot division and Swisstulle an engineered textile company.

They have recently been granted Industrial CASE funding from UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The award finances cooperative research between the company and a university research program.

The Engineer Online

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