Snake robot can be used for reconnaissance, examination of pipe structure in power plant or factory. But there are some challenges to use snake robot in real situations.
1. Lack of design standard
Currently, some researchers design and make snake robot. But there is no standardized methodology. There is no guide line to determine module number, module length, wiring, actuation method and so on. So it is difficult to make snake robot and there is no criterion to check snake robot's performance or reliability. Actually, these standard can be constructed by analyzable mathematical model for control theory of snake robot. But currently researchers can't construct such mathematical model of snake robot.
2. Lack of environmental sensing
Measuring contact force or external force acting on body is challenging. Because robot's modules are articulated. One solution of this problem is using textile sensor on surface of robot. Kulko use this method to sense external force to pass obstacles. But Kulko can't sense force around linkage between two modules.
3. SLAM
SLAM is simultaneous localisation and mapping. It enable a robot to create a map of environment and determine its own position in the map simultaneously. Snake robot's movement highly depend on interaction between environment and robot body. So it is essential that know about environment. It can help path planing of robot and give an answer to how robot can achieve the mission. Vision from camera and sensors on body can collect information to do SLAM.
4. Untethered operation
Robots that I presented at previous text are all tethered robot. Wire supply power and deliver information to robot or human operator. So on board power source and wireless communication ability is necessary for untethered operation. It is challenge because snake robot has limited payload capability. Wireless communication is also difficult. Because most of applications of snake robot is in inaccessible by human like nuclear power plant or disaster area. Reliable wireless communication in that environment is difficult. So robot must have ability that operate autonomously when communication with operator is lost until communication is reconnected.
5. Robust and strong actuation mechanisms
Snake robot is very sensitive to weight. Because most operation of snake robot need to lift their parts like sticking its head out of the break to find survivors in disaster area. It requires high ratio between the strength of the actuators and the weight of the robot. Also it must not over heat during operation and robust to the impact.
If these challenges will be solved, snake robot can be used for many applications.
Reference : Limbless Locomotion: Learning to Crawl with a Snake Robot
Snake Robots : Modelling, Mechatronics, and Control
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기