Harvard researchers have inspired themselves from various animals such as starfish and worms to create what can only be defined as one of the creepiest robot we’ve ever seen.
This particular robot (which comes from George M. Whitesides’ lab at Harvard) distinguishes itself by being capable of several unique gait styles including walking, crawling, and slithering. Each of these gaits is controlled by pumping air at up to 10 psi into a succession of limbs, inflating and deflating elastomer compartments to provide temporary structure and rigidity. In addition to slipping through gaps, the robot can make it across things like felt cloth, gravel, mud, and Jell-O (don’t ask).