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.
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'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!' - Ray Cummings, 1931.
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'What strange sensitivity! What an amazing development of science was manifested in every move and act and word of this Robot!'