Burrowing Soft Robot Developed That Could Tunnel Into The Moon
A snake-like robot has been developed to burrow through sand or loose soil.
It was reported Wednesday (16 June) that researchers at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Georgia Institute of Technology have taken their cues from plants and animals that have evolved to navigate subterranean spaces, and have "developed a fast, controllable soft robot that can burrow through sand."
The team is working on a project with NASA to develop burrowing for the moon or even more distant bodies, like Enceladus, a moon of Jupiter.
It was explained: "The technology not only enables new applications for fast, precise and minimally invasive movement underground, but also lays mechanical foundations for new types of robots."
