A student-led team of 13 undergraduates recently won an award from the BIG Idea Challenge of NASA to further develop its snake-like robot design, which fulfilled the competition requirements this year for robots that can traverse extreme terrains like enormous craters on the south pole of the moon.
According to Knowridge Science Report, the ouroboros, the prehistoric symbol of a snake that swallows its own tail, represents infinity in general, as well as the "natural, endless cycles of the universe."
For members of Northeastern's Students for the Exploration and Development of Space club though, their moon-destined robot's ouroboros-like design is simply practical, the robot can slither akin to a desert snake throughout the loose soil of the moon, and when needed, link head-to-tail to form a wheel that can tumble down the steep slopes of the craters of the moon. Any metaphors of the unity of the solar system or the moon's orbit surrounding the Earth are described to be happy coincidences.
From a slithering snake to a tumbling wheel. This shape-shifting #robot designed by @sedsnu members could be destined for a @NASA mission on the moon. @NortheasternCOE https://t.co/k3XSKfGHuB
— Northeastern U. (@Northeastern) March 14, 2022
Robot Searching for Water
According to undergraduate bioengineering student Matt Schroeter, they want to "explore the Shackleton crater, which is massive at 20 kilometers in diameter as it may contain water.
However, he added, if one wants to send a robot to the creator, it has to be really efficient as there is no sunlight, no possibility for solar energy. The tumbling-wheel design enables gravity to do the majority of the work on the way down to the base of the creator saving most of the energy of the robot for the journey back. The moment the robot is on level ground, it can unwind itself and continue slithering through the soil looking for water.
Shape-Changing Component
The south pole of the moon is greatly unexplored due to its harsh circumstances and endless darkness although some astronomers have speculated that water could be trapped in those deep craters which formed when asteroids that possibly have water, hit the moon.
If found, the water could be used to develop rocket fuel, making the moon a pit stop on the way to distant planets. Schroeter said he believes the club's robot, known as COBRA or Crater Observing Bio-inspired Rolling Articulator, is special and extraordinary due to its shape-changing component.
He added, people, have already developed snake robots and tumbling robots, although the "novel thing about ours" is that when the head and the tail are connected, "we have the ability to form the body however we want." The wheel's shape can be adjusted as needed to match the terrain. For instance, if an individual pushed a lone bike tire down a hill, it would possibly fall over if it hit even the tiniest pebble.
In the Design Stage
To prevent the problem from occurring in their robot, the team of students developed a method to change the center of mass in their snake-like robot in real-time to prevent it from falling over, explained Schroeter.
He continued, if the robot begins to fall to the right, he can change the joints on the left "to keep it upright." As of now, most rovers used in the exploration of the moon can only traverse slopes within roughly 30 degrees of steepness.
Schroeter said, nevertheless, a lot of crater walls are steeper than that. Because of the agile design of the team, he believes COBRA can surpass the problem and handle more daunting terrain.
Currently, COBRA is still in the design stage. However, because of the award from NASA's BIG Idea Challenge, Schroeter said the team can start planning for the manufacturing of a prototype, which will be the "3D printed." It will also be tested at Northeastern.
Related information about NASA's BIG Idea Challenge is shown on Daviche Rosero's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on Robotics in Science Times.
