Robot snail

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed snail-type robots that crawl on vertical walls and move across the ceiling.

The snail robot was designed to explore and demonstrate mathematical theories to explain the movement of snails as well as to study the ability of the snail to adhere to the angles of the snail. Tested for this robot, researchers hope it will be applied in the robot industry.

To move, the snail uses the shrinkage of the individual legs. These snails legs stick to the surface with viscous secretions. Snails contract the muscles of the legs from the back and pushes forward. A thin layer of slime ensures that the snail attaches to the wall and also keeps the snail from slipping backwards.

When the pressure reaches the front of the foot, the snail relaxes and moves its head slightly from its original position. So the snail can move gently in all directions by turning the head.

Engineers have simulated this process. They create a robot with legs in the abdomen (like the belly) with 5 parts that can move beneath it. Each section is moved along the groove on the mechanical fuselage. After all these parts move, the entire body of the robot will move forward and each leg will return to its original position.

The snail robot was examined on a sloping surface coated with a thin layer of lime about 1.5 mm made of Laponite. When the team increased the angle of the test bench, the robot continued to move and could move down. The team published their findings in the November issue of the journal Physics of Fluids.

The team also developed a mathematical theory to determine the optimum lubricant and levels of the mechanical part of the robot. These coefficients are necessary for determining the ability of the robot to adhere to the surface. Anette Hoso, lead researcher, said the next generation of snail robots is a faster, easier-to-control snail robot.