How to build a snake robot
Projects from Make: Magazine
Nagaina The Snake Robot
Nagaina is a twelve degree of freedom snake robot designed, built, and programmed by me. Nagaina's kinematics allow for autonomous or manual control schemes. The head contains three sonar and one IR sensor for detecting dangers (obstacles or falls). The p
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Steps
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Step #1:

- Design is key! Use solid works or Google sketchup to plan out the elements of your snake bot
- The key is to mount the wheels on rubber bands to insure ground contact at all times
- Cheap servos will work but the stronger the servo the faster your snake will be able to move. This is because the limiting factor on robot snake speed is not the servo speed but the torque required to get accelerate to that speed.
- Don't be afraid to add lots of batteries, weight is your friend on this robot. Not only do the servos use up all their stall amperage typically, but heavier snakes mean more wheel friction to help you move!
Conclusion
Lego Wheels are hands down the cheapest and best in size.
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