Many animals exhibit unique locomotion characteristics. One such characteristic is serpentine movement, observed in eels, moray eels, vipers, and garter snakes, mimicking the function of sinusoidal or serpentine curves. These animals propel their bodies with powerful force. In this research, we are particularly interested in snake locomotion due to its versatility across various surfaces. Serpentine movement is beneficial for exploration, especially in complex and hazardous environments like nuclear power plants, pipe inspection, diverse manufacturing systems, or even aerospace applications.

The concept of nuclear power plants in Thailand spurred the Field Robotics Institute (FIBO) at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) to design and construct a multi-jointed robot. SR-1 serves as a prototype to further study serpentine movement, applying the Active Cord Mechanism (ACM) theory by Prof. Shigeo Hirose from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.

Currently, we are in the second phase of development. SR-1 can move forward by applying torque in a serpentine fashion. SR-1 has numerous passive wheels beneath its body; these wheels do not contribute to propulsion directly. However, the robot’s movement requires all wheels to allow the sum of internal muscle forces to overcome friction along the snake’s body. The SR-1 robot controls the relationship of its internal muscle torques to generate thrust, enabling it to move forward or backward.

Artificial intelligence can be applied to enhance the robot’s capabilities, such as obstacle avoidance using the Potential Field Method combined with Generalized Voronoi theory to define the robot’s movement plan, along with other techniques to further improve the robot’s abilities.

FIBO received financial support from the Thai-Toray Foundation. The challenges of this research have led to discoveries in control methods for this type of robot in highly constrained environments. A byproduct is a prototype that will be used to study further advantages and disadvantages in the future.