Amphibious Robot Climbs, Crawls, and Swims
Assistant Professor Nana Obayashi and Ph.D. student Daniil Filimonov designed WorMa, a snake-like robot that crosses land, steps, and water by shifting its weight rather than its shape, and the researchers say it is the first slithering robot to enter and exit water on its own. "What it gives you is a robot that doesn't need to be redesigned every time the terrain changes," Obayashi said. "That could matter for environmental monitoring or infrastructure inspection, where a robot may need to cross dry ground, obstacles, and water during the same mission."
