ETH Zurich is revolutionizing disaster relief: this robot snake saves people

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A 20 meter long snake crawls into a crevice. She slides between concrete slabs that are close together. Bent and broken metal poles stick out of the dust. The snake searches for a victim in the rubble. She doesn’t want to kill, she wants to save. Because she’s a robot that tracks down people buried after an earthquake.

The mechanical creature is called Roboa and was developed at ETH Zurich. Students presented the robot at Arche 2023 in July. During the event, the Swiss army exchanged ideas with start-ups. The aim is to test the disaster response of the future. For this, about 150 researchers were allowed to use a military site in the Geneva area. Rescue teams usually train there for emergencies. But at Arche 2023, scientists are testing their systems in the heaps of debris lying around.

Savior under the rubble

One of these wonder devices is the Roboa. It contains a microphone to contact those who are buried. So that they don’t die of thirst or starve under the rubble, the robot pumps water and liquid food to them until they are rescued. The Tech Snake can glide through tight spaces that are impassable to humans. This also protects the rescuers as they don’t have to climb through unstable ruins to search for survivors.

The hose consists of separate parts. Two people can assemble it in 15 minutes, connect it to a power source and it’s ready to go. At full throttle, Roboa can travel half a meter per second. It moves like an endless caterpillar turned inside out. Technically, it would be possible to equip the Roboa with artificial intelligence so that it can overcome obstacles on its own. But the snake is not yet an autonomous being.

A video game controller serves as the control device

There is a camera in her head that transmits recordings to a tablet. This is how the rescuers look in the mess. You can control the robot using a console. For this they use a Playstation 4 controller, which indicates how young the developers are. Betim Djambazi (26) is co-director of Roboa. He and his team chose the controller because they like to gamble on the Playstation.

The Roboa is unique in the world. The theory originated at Stanford University in the United States. But ETH Zurich was the first to put the idea into practice. The project was initiated by Roland Siegwart (64), Professor of Autonomous Systems. Siegwart urged Djambazi and his fellow students to participate in the implementation in the bachelor’s programme. Everyone is now doing their Master. Only one person graduated. But they are already working with the Swiss Center for Drones and Robotics, which reports to the military.

Djambazi says: “We at Roboa are already using the hose without any problems.” However, the system is not yet mature enough for others to be able to use it carefree. So they would now be working on usability and training plans. They also want to halve the weight of the robot. The Roboa currently weighs 50 kilos. And then there’s only one thing left: “Test, test, test,” says the young researcher.

abuse in war

The Roboa has to save people. But ultimately, any technology can be abused. In a war, the snake could explore tunnel systems. And an explosive can be mounted on the head. Djambazi says: “We try to prevent that.” But so far his team has not had to take any action. Because the Roboa don’t have the potential to be used in war.

Another problem can be the design. Those unfamiliar with the technical line may panic. “We still have to clarify that,” says Djambazi. What makes him positive: A team member has a snake phobia and yet no problem. But he admits: “Roboa is our baby – and you always think that’s cute.”

Source:Blick