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Don't be fooled by the smiley face on the snake or the LEGO kit used to build the self-balancing robot -- these devices have the potential to save the lives of Israeli soldiers.

Dr. Amir Shapiro, director of the Robotics Laboratory at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and an assistant professor in mechanical engineering at the school in Be'er Sheva, displayed his prototypes for search and rescue robots at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan July 21.

Shapiro told The Jewish State that because his snake and wall-climbing robots still require considerable testing and the addition of new motions, his goal is to have them available for the Israel Defense Forces within the next 3-5 years. The robots are meant to serve defensive purposes rather than engaging in offensive combat, Shapiro said during his presentation, an American Associates of Ben-Gurion University (AABGU) event.

One of Shapiro's students suggested a smiley face for the 3-D snake robot, which will be able to slither inside pipes, air ducts, and narrow spaces between the walls of collapsed buildings. The snake will have cameras to spot survivors, but "in the meanwhile it can be used as a toy," Shapiro joked.

Shapiro's LEGO robots, which he uses to teach dynamics control in his laboratory, were both built with a simple $200 kit.

"Now we are in the beginning of a new era where robot hardware is getting cheaper and we can do much more in robotics than we could do before," Shapiro said. "[Robotics] will be available to the public because of the price."

One of the LEGO robots is meant to mimic a Segway Personal Transporter, and the other, which can stabilize itself on ball, is the "next generation of scooter," Shapiro said. Both have gyroscopes and ultra-sonic sensors that allowed them to move backwards when Shapiro placed his hand in front of them, and vice versa.

Shapiro also presented a wall-climbing robot with magnetic tips on the springs of its wheels, for the purpose of sticking to hulls of ships. Shapiro drove the remote-controlled device, which looks like a miniature tank, up and down a metal sheet. Also equipped with cameras, this robot will inspect ships exiting or entering harbors for smuggled goods, illegal drugs, and other hazardous substances.

The 3-D snake wriggled and gyrated on the table and shook its smiley-face head, more complex maneuvers than those of the first snake Shapiro showcased, which moved up and down slowly in a wave-like motion while traveling forward and backward. Shapiro explained that while he doesn't have the materials to literally copy nature, he tries to at least mimic what he sees in the environment.

"Instead of copying, we try to do the best with the materials that we have," Shapiro said.

"We look at [God's] work for inspiration and try to do something similar," he added. "I believe that nature is beautiful and a good source of inspiration."

At BGU, Shapiro said he is also working on several other devices that were too large for him to bring to New York, including flying robots, energy-harvesting robots, four-legged walking robots, and other creations for a variety of agricultural and medical purposes. He stressed that his projects, which are funded by the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology as well as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, are intended to help people, not serve as agents of destruction.

Ultimately, Shapiro hopes that his robots can replace the need for humans to perform dangerous tasks. That won't create unemployment, Shapiro explained, because humans will still need to operate the robots.

"I hope that humans will have jobs, but higher level jobs -- jobs where they need think, not only act," Shapiro said.