For over a decade, faculty and students from the College have partnered with the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation to contribute to unexploded ordinance remediation and removal in Cambodia. Before demining efforts can begin, the brush and surrounding areas must be surveyed and cleared, which requires a great deal of time, effort and expense. The Snake Bot was specifically designed to move through heavy bush and improve the efficiency and safety of the landmine detection process. This inexpensive robot can detect mines before the brush is cleared, saving time and accelerating the demining process.
The robot’s segmented design and inline-screw drive system provides the Snake Bot with a high degree of mobility and the ability to move in any direction over uneven terrain. As it is the most technically complex component, the team dedicated their INNOVATE experience to the design and development of the drive train and systems. Over the next year, the team plans to incorporate a sensor to determine the location of unexploded ordinance and integrate an MFAM (magnetometer technology) sensing device.
Team member Julia Al-Nawal found INNOVATE “extremely rewarding” and noted she was “stronger for the experience.”
Erin Lal, L3Harris Senior Manager, Systems Engineering, offered this feedback, “I'm very impressed with your topic and roadmap for near term and long-term goals.”
Ross Niebergall, Chief Technology Officer for L3Harris, said, “I applaud the mission of this research. It’s very important for the safety of this region of the world.”
