'Flipperbot': Sea turtles inspire beach-walking robot (w/ video)
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 - 18:20
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org) —For sea turtle hatchlings struggling to reach the ocean, success may depend on having flexible wrists that allow them to move without disturbing too much sand. A similar wrist also helps a robot known as "FlipperBot" move through a test bed, demonstrating how animals and bio-inspired robots can together provide new information on the principles governing locomotion on granular surfaces.