helping scientists explore the
underworld of Teotihuacan, an
archaeological complex.
The complex is located some 50 km
north of Mexico City.
The robot is exploring a tunnel built by
Teotihuacan's residents under the
Temple of the Feathered Serpent, the
third-largest pyramid at Teotihuacan,
leading archaeologists to expect an
important discovery.
"The technology really helps us
archaeologists in doing our work, we
use (the robot) as another tool. It has
provided very valuable information
and helps us plan how to better
conduct the research," project director
Sergio Gomez told EFE.
This is only the second time a robot
has been used at the site and only the
third time in history, following the use
of a similar apparatus in Egypt to
explore one of the Great Pyramids,
Gomez said.
The Tlaloc II robot, which was named
after the Aztec god of rain and
fertility, uses a camera and scanner to
provide an exact picture of the
condition and shape of the tunnel,
Hugo Armando Guerra, one of the
engineers who designed the robot,
said.
The robot performs a dangerous job,
entering areas that may have loose
rocks or be subject to collapse, Guerra
said.
"These are the types of dangers we
avoid by using the robot," Guerra, who
also helped create the first-generation
robot, said.
The project to explore the 103-meter
tunnel under the Temple of the
Feathered Serpent started in 2010.
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