WomBot robot to study wombat burrows

The team hopes to provide a solution for reducing the spread of sarcoptic mange, a serious disease that affects wombats due to parasitic mites. The mites are thought to be transmitted when wombats move every four to ten days to occupy a different burrow.

Published in the journal SN Applied Sciences, the new study from La Trobe University and the University of Tasmania describes how the WomBot has been utilised to study whether environmental conditions within burrows promote sarcoptic mange transmission.

“Wombat burrows are challenging to study as they are narrow, muddy, can be dozens of metres long and contain steep sections and sharp turns,” said Robert Ross, corresponding author. “WomBot allows us to enter and explore these burrows without destroying them or using expensive ground-penetrating radar.”

According to researchers, the remotely operated robot moves using continuous tracks similar to a tank tread, with a top speed of 0.15 metres per second. It can climb inclines of up to 22 degrees, measure the temperature and humidity of a burrow and place and retrieve additional environmental sensors via a gripper attached to its front.