Mechanically Intelligent Robot Can Switch Between Different Swimming Postures

A 'mechanically intelligent' soft robot developed by a team at North Carolina State University has been unveiled. Without microcomputers or reliance on real-time algorithms, the robot uses only two air tubes to control inflation and deflation, enabling it to switch between jellyfish, fish, and rotor swimming modes while performing maneuvers such as ascending, hovering, and turning. Its control logic is entirely managed by the material and structure itself, effectively embedding a 'brain' within the design. The findings were published in the latest issue of Science Advances. (Science and Technology Daily)