Cuttlefish-Like Robots Are Far More Efficient Than Propeller-Powered Machines

interestingengineering.com

9 pointsdanboarder3 comments

Looks practically designed to get snagged on random things in the water.

My suggestions: the mantle should be one piece of silicone shrouding the whole body. The levers to operate the fin should be wholly embedded, and pivot at the edge the body, not well inside. The corners should not be corners, but should taper off near the ends.

That said, kudos on a good first effort!

Note that it’s a qualified claim: 3x as efficient as the “average propellor of a small boat”. The tech looks awesome in the video though, would recommend giving it a watch.

Yes, mesmerizing how it moves quickly across land and in snow and water as well, I wonder how much faster such a propulsion design could be optimized to move, and why it has not been explored more for full size off-road vehicles etc. I wonder if it's the actuator/software control system that is easier to build now, as it looks like that is where the magic is in moving efficiently in the water, and on land.

Video of it in action: https://youtu.be/JVq0adTn0_w

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