Concertina movement navigates tunnels: snakes

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Some snakes move by passing one or two curves down their bodies (concertina movement) using scales to apply pressure points.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Move or stay put >
	Move >
	In/on solids

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Mechanical devices for 'snaking' industrial pipes, new types of transportation capable of navigating narrower streets, search-and-rescue robots narrow spaces.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"Snakes can also engage in what's called 'concertina' movement, in which one or two curves pass down the length of an otherwise straight animal. This works well for an animal confined within a channel just a bit larger than itself (such as a rodent's burrow). At least one snake, Bitis caudalis, the South African desert viper, can jump, getting entirely airborne and moving a distance almost equal to its length (Gans 1974)." (Vogel 2003:489)

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About the inspiring organism

Colubridae
Colubridae

Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Mechanical devices for 'snaking' industrial pipes, new types of transportation capable of navigating narrower streets, search-and-rescue robots narrow spaces.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Sewage treatment, utilities, transportation

References

Steven Vogel. 2003. Comparative Biomechanics: Life's Physical World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 580 p.

Concertina movement navigates tunnels: snakes

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