Researchers in Singapore have created a swimming robot that moves like an amoeba:
The “amoebot” has no propeller or rudder, but relies on a series of water-filled balloons to move and steer itself… It inflates and deflates its balloons in a specific sequence to redistribute the water between them and so change the overall shape of the robot, which is covered with an elastic skin.
And what exactly can one do with an “amoebot”? Not much at the moment – it takes a day to cross a swimming pool, and can’t yet move up or down, just backwards or forwards – but scientists think they could someday use these to help build structures underwater. Sounds like they’re trying to find a justification for all their work after the fact.
