What does an octopus out-of-water look like? Perhaps something like this robot that uses four air-powered limbs to move. After all, octopuses were its inspiration.
Octopus tentacles are boneless, but that doesn’t stop the sea creatures from using their appendages to walk like humans, among other things.
Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology and Kings College London took the “bones” out of their robot’s limbs and replaced them with air-filled tubes.
By adjusting the amount of pressure in the tubes, the robot can stand stiff enough to withstand the weight of a stable gun being dropped on it, land on all four feet like cat dropped from the couch, and wiggle across the room like a baby learning to crawl or a wayward uncle on the way home from the bar.
What’s it good for? The researchers suggest it could be used to explore other planets, swim in the oceans, or detect mines, according to IEEE’s Automation blog.
Check it out in the video below.
– via IEEE
John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.