Just when you thought it was finally safe to go back in the water, along comes this robotic snake to creep you out in the pool. ACM-R5 is the latest version of HiBot's robotic snake, developed by Japan's Hirose Fukishima Lab. Each section of the snake has its own processor, battery and motor that allows it to operate independently, yet all of the sections coordinate with each other to keep everything in sync. Sections can be added or removed to give the snake the perfect length for the task at hand.
Unlike that robotic snake from Carnegie Mellon University, ACM-R5 is completely autonomous and doesn't need an umbilical connection to an operator. It just finds its own way around the pool, sneaking up on you when you least expect it.
HiBot says that they are still working out a few kinks in ACM-R5's software and hardware, but they believe that it will eventually have a bright future in both search and rescue and surveillance applications. Check out the video to see ACM-R5 taking a dip in a Hollywood swimming pool.
(Just don't send that thing slithering after me.)
Hirose Fukushima Lab, via Treehugger
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