Exploration Snake

Exploration Snake

Rohi Ahn

The exploration snake is used to explore new places that are impossible or improbable for humans to venture. Our project was designed and created to be able to imitate a snakes scales and to be able to recreate a snakes unusual movement. This required a lot of thought and inspiration, so we watched videos of snake movement, researched Harvard's inching snake and looked at different types of snake skin. Using this information we were able to recreate the snakes movement and scales. We tried multiple types of scales on different types of paper and we designed and 3d printed our own mold using fusion 360. Each scale was laser cut so that it was of perfect quality and each of our actuators were individually made. Through  all of our work we were able to find the ideal scale pattern and actuator. The actuator was able to bend two ways and the scales could provide friction one way but not the other. Yet each of these had it's own problems, The actuator was too tall and thin so we had trouble removing it from our molds and we didn't have a material that was flexible and strong enough for the scales. As a result our final prototype was only one section of the snake and the scales didn't provide enough friction to propel it completely forward. We can use what we learned here to create a better working prototype and to create a new method of exploration.