A vast team of engineers, programmers and other perpetrators of science are fighting climate change the only way they know how; by building a colossal robotic snake.
The Titanoboa was, and excuse me while I slip into technical jargon here, a giant-ass snake that lived approximately 58-60 million years ago. It’s the largest snake ever discovered, with the biggest example of the, fortunately extinct, species measuring about 50ft in length. Unfortunately, being cold blooded and the length of a bus has it’s downsides. The Titanoboa was made extinct by a 6-8 degree shift in the earth’s climate.
Built at eatART in East Vancouver, the terrifying robotic reincarnation of this great snake featured in the video on the right was made by a team made up of dozens of students and professionals from a host of different disciplines. In their words:
The Titanoboa project seeks to reincarnate this 50 foot, 1 ton beast as an amphibious, electromechanical serpent machine meant to provoke discussions of our changing climate in a historical context. This giant electromechanical reincarnation will roam the earth striking terror in the hearts of those who dare to look into its eyes and contemplate the future of our planet.
It’s certainly true that “Reduce your carbon emissions or I will have my giant robot snake eat you and your children” does sound a lot more compelling than anything any of the other Eco-friendly movements have came up with.
The final version of the Titanoboa will be submersible, rideable, and most importantly, drivable, but the designers stress that it’ll take a grit, determination and a skilled hand to master the robo-snake.
“The complex control needed to properly move hundreds of individual parts will necessitate a skilled operator who has taken time to become at one with the serpent.”
I am ready.
Source: Titanoboa
Published: Nov 17, 2011 01:26 am