Snake Robot Locomotion in Environments With Obstacles

As a step toward enabling snake robots to move in cluttered environments, this paper proposes a control strategy that combines environment adaptation with directional control in order to achieve straight line path following control in environments with obstacles. Moreover, the paper presents the design of a mechanical snake robot with tactile sensing capabilities that allow the robot to sense its environment. Experimental results are presented where the snake robot is successfully propelled through different obstacle environments with the proposed control strategy.