Lizard-style bot 'swims' through sand, straight into your worst nightmare
By Paul Miller 
posted June 26th 2010 11:32PM
posted June 26th 2010 11:32PM
While robots still struggle to do basic things like hang out with us or bring us cookies, it's comforting to know that the variety of locomotion methods for this burgeoning race shows no sign of slowing. The latest of these "this would be a cool way for a robot to make its way through a disaster site and rescue people" solutions is a robot from a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology that can "swim" through sand, much like a lizard. Sand's a bit of a toughie, in case you've never found out for yourself in an ill-fated game of sand volleyball, thanks to its combo of solid and fluid dynamics. The spandex-clad, squirmy solution uncovered by Georgia Tech gets along nicely, however, going mainly with the fluid approach. Check it creeping creepily on video after the break. 
I'm tired of these mother-f'ing lizard bots on this mother-f'ing sandbox.
@(Unverified)
Mother f'ing downvoted
@uckApple Your comment? Yes it is.
@(Unverified)
Well I, for one, welcome our new slithering overlords
* Waits for technology to be incorporated into next pr0n movie *
@(Unverified)
+1 for the snakes on the plane reference.
possibly one of the most awesome movies of all time.
@Kurian
* Waits for this very expensive robot to be beaten to a pulp with a rock by the first person it finds to rescue.
@JeremyBenthem
I haven't seen an "I, for one, welcome..." comment for FAR too long. I actually miss them. +1 for old sk00l Engadget nostalgia.
@uckApple PWND!
@(Unverified)
Hey I work on this project! no really. I can't believe it made engadget...
oh and it freaks me out too sometimes.
>:-(
@(Unverified) and then the battery dies unlike the lizard....
Sorry, I never pick up after my dog..
I only wish my nightmares were like this.
@wemustcontrolpeople as opposed to the one with the alien masturbating? wait that was one i had O.0
where the feck are these robots that bring you cookies that you speak of??
So now our future is a mix between Terminator, and Tremors. We're screwed.
@OmbreDesigns
FINALLY, OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN TREMORS!
@RagingPigeon I thought everyone has at least seen the first three.
@stockpile There's three? I only saw two.
@RagingPigeon
This is geekland, everybody here has seen Tremors.
@stockpile
There are more than three?
@GGG
Actually there was 4 movies (the fourth movie being in like the way past, 1890 or somethin), and there was a terribad series of tremors on sci-fi for awhile, or maybe its still on, idk, I do know it sucked though. Love the movies, have all 4 of em and still watch em
@OmbreDesigns not yet... we still need a Critters robot... then it's over.
I can see this robot being useful as scouts in the middle east, as ugh a war that is
@Lucas There's a link on the source page of robotic penguins swimming under water using sonar... Nuclear powered penguins sound pretty bad ass to me... Robotic scouting lizards... Robotic bald eagles dropping bombs... I like where this is going....
@PolarBearTC When did the Penguin start designing our robots?
@PolarBearTC
pokemon did it first.
Oh great.... I'll never go to beach again without wearing any undergarment
@icon808 So now we have TWO reasons to wish these researchers god-speed.
OMG! its.. its.. skorponok's tale!... the making of Transformers 3 underway
it's like that machine from tranformers!! And terminator salvation! If our world keeps Developing smarter robots they will become..AWARE.....
All this has happened before, and it will all happen again.
The more advanced we get, the sooner the Reapers will come.
@epicsurge
I prefer to think of them as giant lobsters in the sky. That way all we need is a really big pot of boiling water & some garlic butter to defeat them. And feed the galaxy at the same time.
What's with the grainy, low quality video on some of those shots?
You going to tell me MIT can afford an xray video camera but not a $500 HD handycam?
@jebo4jc Thats probably exactly the reason. I wouldn't be surprised if they were using some $80,000 SWIR camera or something and had no budget left.
Artificial dune worm. o_O
Sand volleyball? I believe it's beach volleyball.
Well it's all well and good swimming through round plastic balls, but what about actual sand? Real sand is much smaller and coarser that could probably tear a weak skin and get into all the fiddly bits.
But I imagine they thought of that. Still would have been a better POC if they used actual sand.
engadget that's clearly a snake not a lizard motion based on dynamic of a sand lizard but until i see some ares its a snake
Of course, I for one, welcome our sand traveling robot overlords.
I love how researchers justify *all* cool robots by saying "It could be useful for exploring disaster sites". Yeah, yeah, we all know you're just having fun. :-)
@Timmmmmm
for all those sand dune avalanches that occur.
Are the Olympus Tough series any good compared to the others mentioned?
i hope one day my dick could move like this
@(Unverified) to do what?
that's what she said
All hail the mighty Shai-hulud, for he is the bringer of life.
Is this what eventually becomes those snake like robots in Terminator:Salvation?