Adelopod is a small two-armed tumbling amphibious robot developed at the University of Minnesota Center for Distributed Robotics. Adelopod moves around using its two rigid arms.
Adelopod Amphibious Tumbling Robot
Tumbling is a largely unexplored method of locomotion where the robot controls its orientation in order to achieve consecutive forward falls through its environment, thus producing net displacement. It is desirable for robotic locomotion for a number of reasons including inherent stability, high mobility, and low hardware complexity.
This device strongly reminds me of the Wabbler from Murray Leinster's eponomous 1942 short story.
Tactile Skin Supplier Map
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!' - Ray Cummings, 1931.
DIY Robot Scorpion Crushes It
'...it raised its front end off the ground and waved its antennae at them, then raised one armoured claw as if to snip them out of the sky.' - Neal Asher, 2008.
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Tactile Skin Supplier Map
'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!'
Orb Nomad Zero-Emission Electric Aircraft
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair or to perch on a flagpole in imitation of a giant bird, even in the windy city of Chicago.'
DIY Robot Scorpion Crushes It
'...it raised its front end off the ground and waved its antennae at them, then raised one armoured claw as if to snip them out of the sky.'