CMU team builds robotic snake

I've been tracking this project for a while. The most interesting part is that much of the work is done by undergrads. That's really impressive considering how hard robots are to make.

Very similar to USC's also really-amazing, appropriately named SuperBot: <a href="http://waziwazi.com/node/26" rel="nofollow">http://waziwazi.com/node/26</a>

Nice! Those videos are awesome. CMU RI = made of win.<p>Another interesting project they've got going (which seems like it might be related) is their work on modular robots using electromagnetics or static charges. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e44hA6IBtkA" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e44hA6IBtkA</a> (Link goes to a short New Scientist clip regarding the project.)

Don't miss the salamander robot. Last Summer in Telluride's neuromorphic engineering workshop the lead researcher gave us a very impressive presentation on it. It's all about coupled oscillators: for each lateral side of each spinal cord segment, and also some overriding ones for the limbs that fire off at certain activity level of the spinal cord ones.<p>AJ Ijspeert, A Crespi, D Ryczko, JM Cabelguen. "From Swimming to Walking with a Salamander Robot Driven by a Spinal Cord Model." Science 9 March 2007: Vol. 315. no. 5817, pp. 1416 - 1420<p><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/315/5817/1416" rel="nofollow">http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/315/5817/1416</a>