Robot Takes Cues from Deadly Rattlesnakes

In 2009, Spirit, one of NASA's two Mars rovers, got stuck in the sand.  And more recently, the other rover - Curiosity - had to take a detour to avoid the shifting sands of the red planet.   This got some scientists to thinking about ways to keep our very expensive robotic probes from getting sidelined by something as inconsequential as a sand trap.   And they are taking their cues from Mother Nature. In an experiment at Zoo Atlanta, deadly sidewinder...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - jeudi 9 octobre 2014