Hybrid robot merges flier with two snakelike machines
Gadget could one day serve on search-and-rescue missions
By Meghan Rosen
CHICAGO —“Snakes on a plane” might be a good strategy for building rescue robots.
Pairing two snakelike robots with a flying one has let researchers combine the exploring skills of small, ground-based bots with the swift moves of an aerial machine.
Engineers have created search-and-rescue robots before — tanklike machines with heavy-duty treads — but most of these bots muscle over rough terrain with brute force. They can disturb damaged areas and have trouble reaching nooks and crannies within the wreckage.