CMU's Snakebot honored for search and rescue work after Mexico City earthquake

A snake-like robot developed at Carnegie Mellon University took home robot of the year honors for its work searching for survivors in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in Mexico City.

Snakebot was named the Ground Rescue Robot of the Year by the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue.

The robot worked alongside first responders to search through the rubble of a collapsed apartment building after the 7.1 magnitude quake in September that killed about 230 people and injured thousands. Snakebot did not find any survivors during its work.

“Putting boots on the ground, even if only for a few days, showed us not only what our robot could and could not do, but allowed us to interact with first responders and to experience their world,” said Matt Travers, who has worked with Snakebot for years at CMU. “The insight these interactions afforded us will drive how we use technology, including those under development, to better help people in need.”

This was the first year the search and rescue organization presented its Disaster Robotics Award. A DJI Mavic Pro drone that flew over the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma won Aerial Rescue Robot of the Year. Hydronalix's EMILY, a surfboard sized robot used by lifeguards to send rescue lines to people in distress and tow people to safety, won Marine Rescue Robot of the Year. EMILY has been used to rescue refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Travers and Howie Choset, a professor of robotics at CMU, study how a snake-like robot like Snakebot could be used in search and rescue operations. Snakebot uses the multiple joints that make up its body to propel itself with out wheel or tracks. It can slither into small spaces where dogs and humans can't and use its camera to search for survivors.

“Making robots work is hard,” Choset said. “Making them relevant to rescue workers may be harder.”

Choset brought Snakebot to the “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” last year for a segment on the show about robots. The robot made quite the impression as it climbed Fallon's leg .

Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aaupperlee@tribweb.com, 412-336-8448 or via Twitter @tinynotebook.