California: The US space agency is testing a futuristic robot that resembles a snake and can autonomously explore unexplored areas on Moon and Mars. Its design emerges from the shape and working of the Indian python and is conceptualised by an Indian-origin engineer.
Rohan Thakker, who studied in Nagpur and now works in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA, is the brain behind this new snake-shaped robot, named EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor).
"EELS is intelligent and flexible and can cross harsh terrains. It can explore crevices and caves and even swim underwater," he told NDTV's Pallava Bagla during an exclusive interview in California.
"The robot will help in search for life on other planets," he said.
It has been tested on an artificial Martian terrain and glaciers and can be used for search and rescue operations during disasters too, he said.
Mr Thakker, who did his BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Nagpur's Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), shared he was inspired by Bob Balaram, an IITian who had designed the Martian helicopter for NASA.
"I was a pretty bad student in school. I failed to get into IIT but I ended up at NASA," he said.
On India's recent success at soft-landing on the Moon, he said that the Chandrayaan-3 mission had a "cricket match-like feel" and it was a proud moment for him as well.