“Designed to go places that no one has seen before” this is the phrase that NASA used to name its latest technological invention, which is undoubtedly a novelty. The project is a snake robot called Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) and is in the testing phase to enter inhospitable spaces.
The machine designed to be lightweight is a collaboration between engineers, biologists and astrophysicists who used advanced robotics and planetary science. EELS is not only an inter-institutional idea but also represents a crucial advance for space exploration.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the universities of Arizona, California, San Diego and Carnegie Mellon were part of this ingenious invention. The robotic snake that is undergoing several evaluations has allowed experts to make great discoveries about its ability.
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Initially, the project’s mission was to send EELS to Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons that has extensive underground oceans. However, the capability of the first design motivated engineers to create prototypes adaptable to a variety of environments.
Why did NASA choose a snake-style design?
According to the space agency’s website, reptiles served as inspiration to create this novel machinery due to their shape. Snakes can contort and thus move with greater agility in terrain that is difficult for humans to navigate.
Precisely this concept was what was needed for EELS, after defining it the experts began to work on its structure. Finally, they obtained a robot capable of accessing areas unexplorable by humans and even by other technological systems.
Engineers work on a version of EELS during April 2023. Photo: NASA.
The robotic snake operates remotely thanks to its special command that is monitored by humans and its structure can withstand extreme environments. Engineers incorporated advanced technologies that allow it to operate in high-risk spaces.
With a length of 14.4 feet and a weight of 100,000 grams, this ingenious system is adaptable to land, water and small, complex surfaces. Additionally, the modular structure allows it to continue functioning in case it has suffered damage along the way.
Version 1.0 of the EELS robot during a field test in Canada. Photo: NASA.
When will you carry out your first mission?
The EELS has the possibility of seeing the route thanks to its four pairs of stereo cameras located at the head of the structure. This way you can create a 3D map of the environment you are in.
Currently, NASA does not have a launch date for this system as it is in a testing period. However, it is expected that its operation meets all the requirements for it to make its first expedition to the icy moon of Saturn.
It is expected that the initial prototype and the rest of the miniature versions will comply with each of the tests to put them into operation in their respective fields. Photo: NASA.
Experts also plan to use it in unexplored areas of planet Earth and do eventual research on the Moon. For now, the snake robot remains under constant evaluation like other miniature versions that are expected to operate in medical and engineering procedures.
