Snake robots have been around for decades, offering diverse applications in automation.

Their design features redundancy, allowing them to function even if parts are damaged, and their flexible bodies enable navigation in tight spaces.

This versatility makes them valuable in search-and-rescue operations, plumbing, medical procedures, and even space exploration.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is exploring the use of snake robots, like the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS), to search for extraterrestrial life on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

This water-rich moon may harbor life in its subsurface oceans, and EELS is being developed to navigate through its icy terrain, Tech Crunch reported.

Collaborating with several universities, including Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), NASA aims to deploy EELS autonomously to explore the moon’s geysers and oceans, utilizing advanced robotics technology.

Weighing 100,000 grams and measuring 4.4 meters, EELS represents a promising step toward understanding the potential for life beyond Earth.

Written by B.C. Begley