Testing Out JPL’s New Snake Robot
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2023
- A team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is creating and testing a snake-like robot called EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor). Inspired by a desire to descend vents on Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus and enter the subsurface ocean, this versatile robot is being developed to autonomously map, traverse, and explore previously inaccessible destinations on Earth, the Moon, and other worlds in our solar system.
The robot has been put to the test in sandy, snowy, and icy environments, including the Mars-like terrain at JPL’s Mars Yard, a “robot playground” created at a ski resort in the snowy mountains of Southern California, and even an indoor ice rink.
Because of the long communications lag time between Earth and deep space, EELS is designed to autonomously sense its environment, calculate risk, travel, and gather data with yet-to-be-determined science instruments. When something goes wrong, the goal is for the robot to recover on its own, without human assistance.
The project team began building the first prototype in 2019, and has been making continual revisions. They’ve been trying out white, 3D-printed plastic screws for testing on looser terrain like sand and soft snow, as well as sharper, black metal screws for ice. In its current form, the EELS 1.0 robot weighs about 220 pounds (100 kilograms) and is 13 feet (4 meters) long.
EELS is funded by the Office of Technology Infusion and Strategy at JPL in Southern California through a technology accelerator program called JPL Next. JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California. The EELS team has worked with a number of university partners on the project, including Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of California, San Diego. The robot is not currently part of any NASA mission.
For more information on the project go to: www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/how... and go.nasa.gov/3VLhrGf.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech - Věda a technologie
So we're the aliens dropping terrifying robot snakes on other planets? Awesome!
No you nitwit they are using them on earth
Obviously haven't seen the movies "Nine" or the Matrix lol
The first human machine to successfully land on Mars was a robot tripod. The reverse of what H.G Wells predicted in war of the worlds
@warwicklilley4160 what have those got to do with aliens?
No
I showed this to my snakes. They didn't care.
Well it definitely looks very versatile as long as you have an understanding of the terrain it will face. Very cool
Should work extremely well for fleshy and wet terrain, especially in enclosed spaces.
@@Gigasimo456 Fleshy? 💀
That is such brilliant idea. Well done NASA JPL.
Collapsed wells, pipes, or caved-in mines for rescue work where normal robots could not navigate or wedge into crevices. A really hardened unit could explore or drill into geysers or volcanic regions to make new discoveries. Make your augers out of nickle-based alloys like Iconel and put explosives into the head to blast your way forward.
Now that I've watched this video, my first thought is, "How is it powered?" The tech for this kind of robotics doesn't seem that difficult. But if you've found a way to keep it powered over a multi-year mission, that is a big deal. That's what I want to hear about.
That’s true, how would you power this? I’m assuming they’re not using an external source of power as it would severely limit its exploration ability. Maybe a tiny radio decay reactor?
Maybe they''ll pop one of those stirling converters they've been working on in it.
The scientific everlasting fuel: Red Bull
I guess the same way a submarine is. Now I have to look into those nuclear submarines, I just figured it I have no idea if they burn any oxygen like a car engine does.
@@traduni920 They don’t burn oxygen, they create it from water
Now, can it be made to deploy by springing out from a giant can of Pringles?
I love it! It is so versatile, with great possibilities.
I feel that this concept would benefit from the introduction of a robotic badger and a synthetic mushroom.
Aaaand now that song is stuck in my head...
F'kn LOL
Mushroom involved with this idea for sure.
JPL, not just jet engines! Great concept!
So here's the test case:
Drop them in random places on Antarctica and then use satellites to connect and follow them.
That's basically an icy planet with actual satellite connection just like it would explore an icy moon.
Looks like something i found at my mums drawer when i was little,
The black was better than the white coiled, idk it just moves way better
Very awesome concept! Looking forward to seeing it slithering where no snake has slithered before.
Also, this is the grandpa of Horizon: Forbidden West's Slitherfangs and you can't convince me otherwise.
Very cool! Man..even water possibly with that design too!
It looks to me at least, like it would take a lot of energy to continually run all those motors during maneuvers with no obvious way of recharging itself. Surely a snake like traverse would be more energy efficient?
I suppose there will be dozens of prototypes, it depends on what you want to do and where you want to go. I always know: Priorities, weight and space on board, without neglecting: energy, safety, redundancies,...
it would be cool if nasa could integrate a cable winch system between some of the motorized sections.
I'm thinking of a scenario in which the robot comes across a chasm that is too deep or too wide to cross. half the robot could anchor itself into the ice and lower the other half with the winch and cable until the lower half of the robot can anchor itself, allowing the top half of the robot to release its anchor and continue descending.
Looks like an awesome robot! Really agile and flexible!
And fragile lol
Wicked cool! I'm curious what sort of instrument payload capacity it has.
Good luck on your future missions little guy, you're going to change the world
That's amazing and also terrifying.
Nice. Earthworm shape w grooves
Better not put another prototype in my bed while I'm sleeping
Great designs I have some crude drawings for a highly accurate lunar sampling device that is a fixed under a very simple solar powered rover made out of PEX and tension wire (2 3d lidar scanning devices to preform SLAM and navigation) the sample collection drive is lowered using using a wire elevation system. The same style design as a hard drive but instead of platters fixed around the circle will be sample tubes inside of each tube will be a drill with a carbide or diamond tip similar to that Dentist would use the drill will have smooth part of the shaft to allow seals and an auger section shaft to allow for sample collection The simple tubes will move cylindrically with one motor whereas the drill will move linearly on a second motor to the position of the sample tube.
The rover will be able to navigate around and collect samples of a much smaller size on individual crystal structures on rocks instead of the large course sample is currently taken then storing this pre-ground material in internalize sample tubes once the sampling devices fall the rover will return to the standalone mass spectrometer unit and since I only understood time of flight mass spectrometry that’s probably what I will use.
The hope is to create a lighter Rover by using PEX or Aluma-PEX materials and tension wires as well as collecting smaller samples using smaller drills. This mission would have little capacity for heavy lifting but an hopefully an extended mission life if able to access multiple “ sample drives” maybe this rover is so light we can send more that one covering a wider range for study.
Craters at the South Pole of the Moon are in perpetual darkness.
That is why they are a great place to look for water.
Brilliant.....keep it up guys
I brought one of those for my girlfriend. Loves it ! 😊
Awesome. I can see a lots of potential usage.
I'm curious to know how will it be powered outside earth? Neither seeing potential surface area for solar panels nor big enough to hold nuclear power generation equipment.
is it the same machine as we saw in "DUNE" ?
What a pleasant little buddy
Great work.
This research looks like a ton of fun! They should give it legs like a millipede.
this is so cool! im doing an epq on the possibility of life in the solar system. i hope one day this can be used to explore the oceans of Europa and enceladus!!
I want to see this explore Uranus
So, yeah, this looks pretty good. Needs some more refinement but is starting to look like a practical viable machine. Can we use a smaller one to explore more of the Giza Pyramids non-destructively.??
Good work! I won't state the obvious beyond that.
I see where this is going. I need some acid arrows and a blast sling ASAP.
So one day it can explore places no one did explore before! I love that !
Man ! So cool !
Looks good.
Much more informative than the press release regurgitations I have read.
Awesome 😎👍
Only a matter of time till this gets converted to a terrifying war device.
I just read of bore holes made in Antarctica where they are exploring are caverns and rivers under the ice sheet.
kudos to scientists and engineers 👍👍
Go JPL and NASA!
I love snakes and robots 2 of my favorite things in one
Complimenti ❤
I was just in Jasper Alberta Canada and they were testing this on the Athabasca Glacier!! Such an awesome device!!!
Great, I like this snake robot.
That thing reminds me of the snake alien robot in War of the Worlds movie.
Nice 👍
The ideal drain cleaner 😂
Would make a tough to spot drone for the military.
Thanks JPL
Are they powered with 3×AA batteries, or it takes more? I'm curious to know😃😃
I had a toy just like this when I was a kid (80’s).
that first starship practice landing should be loaded with all these prototypes.
Try it out in the holes at Skinwalker Ranch.
i love eels :)
Is there a potential date for this "one day"?
Do they come in dif sizes and colors, asking for a friend?
Impressive
youre happy to see me 😉
or is that a giant snake-bot 🤔🤖🐍
wrapping around my leg 😐
Good concept! How will it keep its camera lenses safe from scratches and clean in the dusty environment like the Martian desert?
Actually windshield wipers would be a good idea
Just like in real life on Earth. Some homeless guy will jump out and wash the camera lens...even if you tell them not to. And then tell you that you owe them money.
I want the same for Christmas
This is really cool. They will need a really long extension cord for it though.
[energetic music]
Thank you guys being there 😢😢😢❤❤❤
Neal Stephenson's Seveneves novel has the Siwi, Dinah MacQuarie and Sean Probst would be proud.
Incredible...
🇿🇦❤🐍
"I am telling you now, I have plans that I can not share with you right now because the haters will sabotage me..."
Brilliant ❤
Finally... THE CORE! (movie)
Also interesting the center doesn't rotate when the outside does (as in torque/counter)
Looks like something out of tentacle hentai. Excellent work.
Like a 1930s Fordson snowmobile catepillar 👍
Cool 😃😀😀
Does it work without the wire attached to it?
awesome
Im just here for the [energetic music]
Finally!
how would it be powered?
Old footage newly posted?
How it will walk on rought surface and small mountains
Where will it get it's energy from
Looks like a perfect present for next valentines day!!!
It's amazing
Danke für das Video 😀😀😀😀😀 macht Moor Meer
It is just me or it look like "The Drill" that breaking Ba Sing Se wall in Avatar the last airbender 😅
Well it would be nice if we could see it actually do something unaided in a deep cavern like in the DARPA challenge
feels like it came from The Core movies 😂
Should be more like a snake. All smooth on the outside, and the same locomotion of a snake.
Giggity.
What happens if you send it all the way to Europa only to find they use European power sockets?
How far can it go ? 2 miles then out of battery ? where is the practicality
should put a big drill on the front
Wow 😮👍
Thin dust will jam the internal gears
Love
Just need a "tongue" with sensors on it!
All I see is a new adult toy. ☺️
"I am telling you now, I have plans that I can not share with you right now because the haters will sabotage me..."
Really cool, will it have charging stations scattered around it to recharge it and relay data back?
nuclear power cells like the rovers
@@shawnfoogle920 thanks for the answer.
@@corrinastanley125 or i hear maybe a secondary rover that charges it someone said
Hi Corrina - RN EELS is still testing and is powered during field tests via a tether to an exterior power supply. If the robot is ever sent on a future mission to space, it will likely be powered via a long tether connected to a spacecraft that would land on the surface.
@@NASAJPL ok thanks for explaining that, would you be able to design the power cord so if EEL was stuck you could pull it free ?