NASA’s newest snake robot
California: A futuristic robot that looks like a snake and is capable of independently exploring uncharted territory on the Moon and Mars is being tested by the US space agency. The Indian python’s form and functionality inspired its design, which was created by an engineer of Indian descent.
The brains behind this new snake-shaped robot, called EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor), are Rohan Thakker, a Nagpur native who currently works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“EELS can navigate difficult terrain and is smart and adaptable. In an exclusive interview in California, he told NDTV’s Pallava Bagla, “It can explore crevices and caves and even swim underwater.”
“The robot will help in search for life on other planets,” he said.
According to him, it can also be used for search and rescue missions in the event of a disaster. It has been tested on artificial Martian terrain and glaciers.
Mr. Thakker, a graduate of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) in Nagpur with a BTech in Mechanical Engineering, said he was influenced by Bob Balaram, an IITian who had created the NASA Martian helicopter.
“I didn’t do well academically in school. IIT rejected me, but I wound up at NASA,” he remarked.
He described the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s successful soft landing on the Moon as having a “cricket match-like feel” and expressed his pride in India’s recent accomplishment.
