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PITTSBURGH-For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening. But Howie Choset
sees in their delicate movements a way to save lives.
The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots
he hopes will eventually slide through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters
or other emergencies.
Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass.-based company that publishes an
online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows. He said there are other snake-like robots being
developed, mainly at universities, but didn't know of one that could climb pipes.
The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be
controlled with a joystick (操纵杆). They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos,
commonly used by hobbyists in model airplanes.
Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller. They can
sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added.
Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana,
said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras
attached to extendable roles.
"It just allows us to do something we've not been able to do before," Stover said,"We needed them
yesterday."
He said sniffer dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used
effectively when workers have access to damaged building.
Stover, among the rescue workers who handled the aftermath (后果) of Hurricane Katrina, said snake
robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster.
Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding.
1. Which institution is responsible for the development of Choset's robots?
A. Robotics Trends.
B. Pittsburgh City Council.
C. Carnegie Mellon University.
D. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
2. Choset believes that his invention ______.
A. can be attached to an electronic arm
B. can be used by hobbyists in model airplanes
C. can find victims more quickly than a sniffer dog
D. can sense its way no better than its operators
3. By saying "We needed them yesterday" (paragraph 7), Stover means that snake-like robots _____.
A. could help handle the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
B. would have been put to use in past rescue work
C. helped rescuers search flooded houses yesterday
D. were in greater need yesterday than today
4. What is the text mainly about?
A. Snake-like robots used in industries.
B. Snake-like robots made to aid in rescues.
C. The development of snake-like robots.
D. The working principles of snake-like robots.
