Salamandra robotica II moves swiftly on both land and water
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The Salamandra robotica II is actually the latest model of a prototype that was developed back in 2007 (Photo Credit: Kostas Karakasiliotis, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The Salamandra robotica II is the latest model of an amphibious robot that can walk, crawl, and swim just like a salamander (Photo Credit: Kostas Karakasiliotis, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
This newest version of the Salamandra robotica includes several improvements, such as a faster swimming speed, foldable limbs, and enhanced microcontrollers that better simulate neural pathways and muscle coordination (Photo Credit: Kostas Karakasiliotis, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Salamandra robotica mimics a salamander by undulating its whole body to swim (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Walking is simply handled by rotating the limbs, but reproducing the wave-like swimming motions requires a system of coupled nonlinear oscillators (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Walking is simply handled by rotating the limbs, but reproducing the wave-like swimming motions requires a system of coupled nonlinear oscillators (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The Salamandra robotica is the first robot that's equally capable of swimming like a fish, crawling like a snake, and walking like a lizard (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The Salamandra robotica is the first robot that's equally capable of swimming like a fish, crawling like a snake, and walking like a lizard (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
A human controller uses a laptop to wirelessly issue commands to an on-board microcontroller to change its motion, speed, and direction (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
A human controller uses a laptop to wirelessly issue commands to an on-board microcontroller to change its motion, speed, and direction (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Salamandra robotica II is scheduled to be a guest of honor at Innorobo 2013, a robotics exhibition that runs from March 19 - 21 in Lyon, France (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The Salamandra robotica is the first robot that's equally capable of swimming like a fish, crawling like a snake, and walking like a lizard (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
When researchers developed the Salamandra robotica II, they tried to replicate the movement of a salamander to build a robot that can walk or crawl on land as easily as it swims in the water (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
When researchers developed the Salamandra robotica II, they tried to replicate the movement of a salamander to build a robot that can walk or crawl on land as easily as it swims in the water (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
When researchers developed the Salamandra robotica II, they tried to replicate the movement of a salamander to build a robot that can walk or crawl on land as easily as it swims in the water (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Salamandra robotica II is scheduled to be a guest of honor at Innorobo 2013, a robotics exhibition that runs from March 19 - 21 in Lyon, France (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The group had to essentially build a mock-up of a salamander's vertebrae and limbs that could alter its stance depending on whether it was traversing in water or not (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The group had to essentially build a mock-up of a salamander's vertebrae and limbs that could alter its stance depending on whether it was traversing in water or not (Photo Credit: A. Herzog, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The group had to essentially build a mock-up of a salamander's vertebrae and limbs that could alter its stance depending on whether it was traversing in water or not (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
A human controller uses a laptop to wirelessly issue commands to an on-board microcontroller to change its motion, speed, and direction (Photo Credit: A. Badertscher, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The researchers hope the upgraded motion will help in developing more amphibious robots that can travel over land and water equally (Photo Credit: A. Badertscher, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Walking is simply handled by rotating the limbs, but reproducing the wave-like swimming motions requires a system of coupled nonlinear oscillators (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Walking is simply handled by rotating the limbs, but reproducing the wave-like swimming motions requires a system of coupled nonlinear oscillators (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Salamandra robotica mimics a salamander by undulating its whole body to swim (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Salamandra robotica mimics a salamander by undulating its whole body to swim (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Salamandra robotica mimics a salamander by undulating its whole body to swim (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The researchers hope the upgraded motion will help in developing more amphibious robots that can travel over land and water equally (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
The researchers hope the upgraded motion will help in developing more amphibious robots that can travel over land and water equally (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Salamandra robotica II is scheduled to be a guest of honor at Innorobo 2013, a robotics exhibition that runs from March 19 - 21 in Lyon, France (Photo Credit: A. Crespi, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)
Article Summary
Scientists have often taken inspiration from the animal world in robotic designs, with bots modeled after fish, sandfish lizards, and even sea turtles. Such biomimicry makes sense – if you want a robot to move a certain way, why not look to creatures that already can? With the Salamandra robotica II, researchers have tried to replicate the movement of a salamander in designing a robot that can walk or crawl on land as easily as it swims in the water.
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