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MIT Scientists Create Robot Snail

Scientists are making progress on the ultimate goal of having a robot match for every creature on Earth. The latest invention comes from scientists at MIT. It is the robosnail, a robotic gastropod that can climbs walls and stick to the ceiling. The scientists tried to make the robot snail as realistic as possible. A Nature article says the scientists even recreated snail slime trails using Laponite.

The team tested out their snail on a tilting platform, covered with a 1.5-millimetre-thick layer of slime made from Laponite, a type of clay that forms a clear, sticky gel when mixed with water.

As the engineers increased the incline, they saw that the snail took the hill in its stride, continuing to plod along even when the surface was vertical. When the platform was flipped over so that the robot was upside down, it still made steady progress.

The secret to this gravity-defying stunt is apparently to keep the snail as light as possible (just 31.6 grams), while ensuring that the Laponite has just the right stickiness. They publish their findings in the November issue of Physics of Fluids.

Slime made from Laponite with "just the right stickiness"? Well if there is goo or slime involved then the commercial possibilities are endless. Just turn the Laponite slime purple and Nickelodeon will order a few thousand robosnails and kids at home will probably want one too. (Via Robots.net)

Posted on December 14, 2005

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