It is likely that in the near future underwater structures that require maintenance will receive it from robots that slither like snakes. This, thanks to the effort carried out by several companies who are carrying out tests of some prototypes.
Recently the Robotics Laboratory of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) made public the announcement that they had managed to equip their snake robot with the ability to swim, which in the words of the researchers will serve to allow the modular robotic platform to inspect ships, submarines and infrastructure for damage.
It should be noted that the construction of the Hardened Submarine Modular Robotic Snake (HUMRS) is being carried out with resources from the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Robotics (ARM).
The development of this structure arose after a report prepared by the Market Research Future where it was estimated that the underwater robotics market will experience a growth of 4.9 million units by the year 2025, as a result of new developments in robotics and boats that they will demand greater efficiency in their maintenance.
However, the snake robot will not only be efficient in water, but also on land where it will have the ability to enter tight spaces, such as oil pipelines that may be inaccessible even for robot models with similar characteristics. the development team for the snake robot was Matt Fischer, a former Navy man who highlighted the potential of this structure to be used by the Department of Defense in its missions.
Also, the snake robot will have the ability to inspect submarines and ships while they are at sea, recording data of this action and then being sent to the dock, so that the personnel in charge can plan in advance strategies to carry out the repair of any damage. that any of the boats may present.
There is no doubt that robotics focused on the marine terrain has been experiencing great advances in recent years, as people involved in this sector take the initiative to develop small robots that carry out surveillance tasks in the oceans, either on boats or people in order to prevent them from drowning.
