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ROBOT WITH A TWIST

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NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is working on a brand-new robot to explore

other planets and their moons.

It won’t drive around on wheels like other rovers. Instead, it will slither like a
snake. It has a snaky nickname, too – EELS.

EELS wasn’t created for any particular space mission. So what inspired JPL to
design it? It started with a question, says Morgan Cable, the science lead for the
project.
Scientists test the EELS robot on snowy surfaces on
Earth. (Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.)
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT ENCELADUS?
0:00 / 4:00 “There are a lot of really fascinating places in our solar system. This one moon of
Saturn – Enceladus. It’s what we call an ocean world. It has a liquid water ocean
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underneath a shell of ice,” explained Ms. Cable.
DICTIONARY
It’s not the only ocean world in our solar system. But Enceladus is unique. It has
four giant cracks in its icy shell. It could be explored without drilling through the
Look up a word
ice.

“It’s basically the universe’s way of saying, ‘Hey NASA. You want to �nd out if
there’s any life in this ocean? Swing on by! Free samples!’”

LOOKING FOR LIFE

“We’re starting to look for evidence of life in our solar system. And we’re �nding
that it may be in the hard-to-reach places. In cracks or crevices. Maybe down in
caves. Places where traditional rovers can’t go.”

“So we started thinking, ‘What kind of robot could we build that could reach those
places?’ A robot like EELS would be the ideal design.”

YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE

Wheels work �ne on �rm, level ground. But they slip and skid on ice. They can get
stuck in snow or deep sand.

There’s so much a wheeled rover can’t do. It can’t roll up steep hills or climb over
obstacles. It can’t explore caves and cracks. It would sink if it fell into water.

OFFROAD EXPLORER

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Robot with a Twist | Currents4Kids https://www.currents4kids.com/article/11850151

EELS doesn’t have any wheels. It’s made up of short segments, about as big
around as your arm. The segments are jointed so they can bend and swivel
separately.

How does it move? It’s propelled by rotating screws attached to each segment.

IN MOTION
This �exible robot can slither forward or wriggle sideways. Like a snake, it can also
raise its “head” to look around.

EELS can squeeze through cracks and go around corners. It can climb steep hills
and explore deep crevices. It can even “swim” through water.

TEST DRIVE
Someday, EELS may explore the surface of planets and moons. But for now, JPL is
test-driving it right here on Earth.

The �rst prototype was built in 2019. It’s already been tested in sand, on ice rinks,
and at ski resorts. It has peeked into Mount Meager, Canada’s most dangerous
volcano.

AN ADVENTURE IN ALBERTA
In September, it explored the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park.

“At NASA, we like to test robots in similar conditions to where we ultimately want
to send them someday. Athabasca Glacier has some of the same terrain.”

EELS wiggled over the ice and roamed across the snow. It peered into the glacier’s
cracks and crevasses. The robot passed with �ying colours.

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