This autonomous underwater snake robot was developed in a collaboration between Kongsberg, the petroleum company Statoil, and Eelume -- a spin-off company from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
(Swimming snake robot video)
The reptilian robot will live permanently on the seabed to monitor underwater equipment and perform maintenance task.
The team conducted research on snakelike robots for more than 10 years to perfect the design.
"Now we take the step from academia and into the commercial world to secure our place in the new and exciting subsea intervention landscape," Pål Liljebäck, Eelume CTO, said in a press release.
The robot will carry out work like adjusting valves, for instance, which are hard to reach for humans.
These swimming snake-like robot terminators from the film Terminator Salvation are remarkably similar - especially the creepy part..
Tactile Skin Supplier Map
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!' - Ray Cummings, 1931.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
'If Anyone Is Watching Earth...'
'Our study of your race has convinced us that you are not fitted to leave your planet in the present state of your civilization.'
Tactile Skin Supplier Map
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!'