Pondering movement over a wide range of terrains and through complex 3d worlds, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has come up with a snake-like robot called Eels – for Exobiology extant life surveyor.

NASA EELS snake robot in Mars Yard
First prototyped in 2019 and now at Eels 1.0, it has 10 identical segments along its 4m body, which weighs 100kg.

“There are dozens of textbooks about how to design a four-wheel vehicle, but there is no textbook about how to design an autonomous snake robot to boldly go where no robot has gone before,” said Eels principal investigator said Hiro Ono. “We have to write our own. That’s what we’re doing now.”

NASA EELS snake robot in snow

On Eels 1.0, the outside of each segment can rotate, and forward propulsion comes from 200mm diameter screw-like structures around each segment that bite into loose surfaces or otherwise grip harder surfaces. The screws can be swapped depending on environment – it has been tested on sand snow and ice.

 

“It has the capability to go to locations where other robots can’t go,” said project manager Matthew Robinson. “Though some robots are better at one particular type of terrain or other, the idea for Eels is the ability to do it all.”

Intelligence and sensors are under development – including  head with four pairs of stereo cameras and lidar. The aim is for it to create a 3D map of its surroundings after which navigation algorithms will estimate the safest path.

“The goal has been to create library of ways the robot can move in response to terrain challenges,” said NASA.

“When you’re going places where you don’t know what you’ll find, you want to send a versatile, risk-aware robot that’s prepared for uncertainty and can make decisions on its own,” added Robinson.