Roboticist Auke Ijspeert designs biorobots, machines modeled after real animals that are capable of handling complex terrain and would appear at home in the pages of a sci-fi novel. The process of creating these robots leads to better automata that can be used for fieldwork, service, and search and rescue. But these robots don't just mimic the natural world -- they help us understand our own biology better, unlocking previously unknown secrets of the spinal cord.

A robot that runs and swims like a salamander

By building robots that closely mimic salamanders and cats, scientists are uncovering how bodies and spinal cords control movement. Pleurobot, a robotic salamander, can seamlessly switch from walking to swimming with just a change in spinal cord stimulation, echoing the behavior of real animals. These biorobots not only promise breakthroughs for rescue missions and robotics but also deepen our understanding of the nervous system's role in locomotion. Even without sensors or brains, well-designed bodies and spinal circuits handle surprisingly complex terrain.

Salamander-Inspired Robots Reveal Secrets Of Animal Movement

Pleurobot, the  salamander-like robot 

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TED Stage Talk

Auke Ijspeert: A robot that runs and swims like a salamander