Meeting Abstract
Venomous coral snakes and their harmless mimics exhibit conspicuous coloration and arrhythmic behavior patterns that deter avian predators. Because these traits cannot be independently varied in living animals, it is difficult to determine the relative contribution of each trait to the overall signal. Robots can be designed to independently vary traits that are coupled in nature, making it possible to mimic extant, extinct, and theoretical morphologies to test evolutionary and ecological hypotheses. We have collected quantitative snake behavioral and color pattern data to design soft snake robots that enable the simultaneous study of both coloration and behavior for the first time. Each of these robots is composed of an elastomer tube with cotton fibers wound around it. The fibers enact a volumetric constraint which imposes specific deformations such as extension, torsion, bending, and coiling upon pressurization of the inside of the tube. By wrapping fibers in an appropriate pattern, such deformations can be combined to mimic specific snake-like motions under a varying internal pressure. These robots are pneumatically actuated and made from biocompatible soft materials, making them safe and resilient enough to be used in the field without risk of injuring live predators. By recording the response of snake predators to these robots, we will gain a mechanistic understanding of how multiple traits coevolve to form a complex signal.
