When it comes to battlefield surveillance, why walk, when you can slither past your enemy unseen? Animals, reptiles and insects are set to take new roles on the battlefield - and all without a trainer in sight.
Now, with a bit of help from Israeli researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, a robotic surveillance camera disguised as a snake can be controlled remotely by soldiers to seek out enemy insurgents hiding in tight spaces, where airborne drones aren't as useful.
According to a story in The Jerusalem Post, the camera snake looks more like a cuddly Jim Henson puppet than the latest battlefield robot.
The machine gains its movement from a series of interconnected joints that help pull it along the ground, in a method similar to that of the way a snake moves. Rough surfaces that would normally be too difficult for bots on wheels are perfect for this all-terrain cyborg snake.
Click here to see a video of the robot snake in action
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| The Israeli robot snake in action. Img source: Channel 2 news still |
In an earlier Ben Gurion University project, researchers experimented with a slew of robotic machines, each with unique animal talents and each modelled carefully after the real thing.
It's thought that the robot snake will be most adept to climbing through holes, tunnels and bunker spaces too difficult for soldiers to pass. It's also likely to have considerable humanitarian roles for use in locating survivors in earthquake and bomb debris.
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However, it's not the first time military units have experimented with robot animals in the battlefield. A robot dog that walks just like man's best friend (named BigDog for its bulky size), has been unveiled by military research group DARPA in recent times, while autonomous insect bots are being developed with micro cameras on board as the ultimate in covert surveillance.
In a case of art imitating life, the latest Terminator Salvation film also features a bunch of robotic serpents. Is that what the military ultimately have in mind?
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