The primary objective of this project is to further the study of motion through granular media. The physics team was tasked with determining the variability of drag forces based on changes in the depth and surface area of a body. Meanwhile the Engineering team was tasked with the design and construction of a robotic test platform to assist in the study of wave motion within granular media. To this extent, a scalable biomimetic robotic snake was designed with the capability to move below the surface of granular media. Instilling the robot with the capability to follow arbitrary traveling waveforms while monitoring a sensor suite and collecting data for analysis is the first phase to understanding the physics associated with granular motion.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Perkins, Douglas Dale
• Guill, Patrick-Joseph Fitzgerald
• Payan, Juan Carlos

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042611-063236

Advisor

• Stafford, Kenneth A.
• Koehler, Stephan A.

Year

• 2011

Date created

• 2011-04-26

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Robotics Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics

Rights statement

• In Copyright