Carnegie Mellon robotics students built this snakebot (inexplicably named “Uncle Sam”) programmed to reproduce a range of ‘gaits’ based on the movement of actual snakes.
Meant to be able to reach areas that other robots (and humans) can’t maneuver into, Uncle Sam can wiggle, roll, and climb trees. Unlike other nature-inspired robots, it’s made of a number of repeating segments that simplifies the construction of these super-creepy serpents.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), the bot is still a work-in-progress. In the video below, Uncle Sam had been programmed to climb this specific tree with a particular trunk width. Still, the snake robot has trouble with twigs on the ground and other obstacles, so we should all be safe… for now.