Float like a butterfly, swim like a robosnake

Okay so, technically, no robot butterflies yet (that we know of!) — but we do have a new robot snake, and we'll give you just one guess which country gave birth to it. The Bio-Mimetic Control Research Center, working under the umbrella of Japan's (of course Japan, silly!) government-backed research institute Riken, yesterday announced they had completed work on a snake-like robot capable of finely mimicking the reptile's movements, including being able to swim by wriggling its body. According to Toshiharu Mukai, head of the research team, this hyper-flexible robot is the "first of its kind." We know it's not the first snake robot — the U.S. military and NASA have built some of those, as has China — so we're not exactly sure what kind of first it is. But since the other half of Mukai's research involves something called "robust eigenspace method," we're gonna imagine he's smart enough to know what he's talking about.

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Is this a possible high-tech replacement for the household plunger? Well, I guess it could have some commercial application.

[Ray @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Well, at least this snake..

http://www.dagbladet.no/kunnskap/2005/02/15/423493.html (text in norwegian, loads of pics and a clip)

...designed by SINTEF has a designated purpose, which is to wriggel into tight places to fight fires.

[Sebhelyesfarku @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

I don't care, my robomongoose will take care of this reptile.

[Ben @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

How about the snake robot lab at CMU? We've been doing this stuff for years!

http://www.snakerobot.com/

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

... oh and as for that robot butterfly... http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3082534

[Snappy! @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Doesn't that resemble the Terminator Snake thingie in Terminator??? *gasp*

Tell me this is not happening!!! *shiver*

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Like Ben said, Howie Choset and his lab at CMU have been doing snake robots for quite a while but I just wanted to point out that they had swimming a while ago also, albeit not perfectly. http://voronoi.sbp.ri.cmu.edu/projects/modsnake/video/swim.mpg

[higon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

OK, sometimees engadget has this kind of racist news, it's fine.
That's you guys are. It's free to insult someone you won't see.
But don't comment any scientific work without actually confirming it.

WHERE DID YOU GET THAT PICTURE FROM !!!!!!!!!

http://www.bmc.riken.jp/~sensor/pressrelease/tokyo050304-p30.jpg

[Toshiharu MUKAI @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

My name is Toshiharu MUKAI. Yes, I am the man in the article. As the comment #8 says, this article does not report our research correctly. If you want to know the truth, please access

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050303/kyodo/d88jhlgo2.html

http://www.bmc.riken.jp/~sensor/index-e.html

http://www.bmc.riken.jp/~sensor/pressrelease/mainichi050304-p2.jpg