There's a good reason why the next generation of robots will look like animals

Biomimetics.

That's the field dedicated to imitating aspects of nature to better understand, and potentially solve, complex human issues.

It's the reason why so many engineers and researchers are creating robot models of animals.

cheetah Shutterstock/ Ondris

Robotic animals can help researchers better understand locomotion, evolution, and simply how certain animals accomplish the amazingly unique tasks that they do.

But they can also have tangible applications, from scouting for danger for the marines to aiding in search and rescue missions.

Here's a round-up of 11 robots whose designs were inspired by animals and what they can do:

This giant robot called the Crabster was designed to resemble crabs and lobsters because of their ability to control their movements while living in rough waters. Its stability helps it survive in aggressive water. In April, Crabster was tested for excavating artifacts in waters near Mado, Taean. It was designed by the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology.

YouTube/ Bong Huan Jun

This salamander-like robot, Pleurobot, will help researchers understand animal evolution and spinal therapy. Developers from EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology tracked 64 spots on the salamander’s spine to make it. The robot can also be used for search and rescue missions.

Festo is a German automation supplier that makes robots inspired by nature every year. Last year, Festo designed this robotic kangaroo that can emulate hopping just like actual kangaroos. The robot is meant to guide an understanding of ways to intelligently recover energy.

Google-owned Boston Dynamics created Spot the robotic dog to scout for danger for the U.S. Marines. Weighing in at 160 pounds, Spot is controlled by a game controller attached to a laptop. The operator can be as much as 500 meters (less than half a mile) away.

Marines TV

Engineers hailing from Harvard, UC San Diego, and Weill Cornell Medical College were inspired by how frogs hop when designing this jumping robot. The body itself drew inspiration from snakes and insect larvae as well. Both the squishy and rigid parts of the robot were 3D printed.

Researchers designed the Flipperbot, a sea turtle-inspired robot, to study how animals like sea turtles or seals use flippers to maneuver on land. The Georgia Tech scientists said they hope the Flipperbot could be used to understand the evolution of fins and flippers.

This roach-inspired robot can aid in search-and-rescue missions and environmental monitoring. Its rounded shell allows the robot to maneuver through obstacles similarly to the way roaches would. It was designed by researchers at UC Berkeley.

MIT's cheetah robot is the first four-legged robot capable of running and jumping over obstacles autonomously. DARPA provided funding for the robot, which is the fastest robot in the world surpassing 29 miles per hour.

This robot was designed to resemble Velociraptors and is almost as fast as MIT's Cheetah robot, clocking in at 28 miles per hour. Designed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the robot's tail provides balance and runs on prosthetic blades to provide speed.

Harvard has been working on its robotic bee for seven years and it has amazing potential. The RoboBee could help with pollination, stealth military surveillance, and even search and rescue missions. It can even dive and swim.

Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory.

Boston Dynamics created Big Dog, a quadruped robot that can hurl a cinderblock, travel through mud and snow, and jog up to 5 miles per hour. It's the size of a big dog or a small mule and was funded by DARPA.

There's a good reason why the next generation of robots will look like animals

There's a good reason why the next generation of robots will look like animals

This salamander-like robot, Pleurobot, will help researchers understand animal evolution and spinal therapy. Developers from EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology tracked 64 spots on the salamander’s spine to make it. The robot can also be used for search and rescue missions.

Festo is a German automation supplier that makes robots inspired by nature every year. Last year, Festo designed this robotic kangaroo that can emulate hopping just like actual kangaroos. The robot is meant to guide an understanding of ways to intelligently recover energy.

Google-owned Boston Dynamics created Spot the robotic dog to scout for danger for the U.S. Marines. Weighing in at 160 pounds, Spot is controlled by a game controller attached to a laptop. The operator can be as much as 500 meters (less than half a mile) away.

Engineers hailing from Harvard, UC San Diego, and Weill Cornell Medical College were inspired by how frogs hop when designing this jumping robot. The body itself drew inspiration from snakes and insect larvae as well. Both the squishy and rigid parts of the robot were 3D printed.

Researchers designed the Flipperbot, a sea turtle-inspired robot, to study how animals like sea turtles or seals use flippers to maneuver on land. The Georgia Tech scientists said they hope the Flipperbot could be used to understand the evolution of fins and flippers.

This roach-inspired robot can aid in search-and-rescue missions and environmental monitoring. Its rounded shell allows the robot to maneuver through obstacles similarly to the way roaches would. It was designed by researchers at UC Berkeley.

MIT's cheetah robot is the first four-legged robot capable of running and jumping over obstacles autonomously. DARPA provided funding for the robot, which is the fastest robot in the world surpassing 29 miles per hour.

This robot was designed to resemble Velociraptors and is almost as fast as MIT's Cheetah robot, clocking in at 28 miles per hour. Designed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the robot's tail provides balance and runs on prosthetic blades to provide speed.

Harvard has been working on its robotic bee for seven years and it has amazing potential. The RoboBee could help with pollination, stealth military surveillance, and even search and rescue missions. It can even dive and swim.

Boston Dynamics created Big Dog, a quadruped robot that can hurl a cinderblock, travel through mud and snow, and jog up to 5 miles per hour. It's the size of a big dog or a small mule and was funded by DARPA.

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Tayyab-Ashraf

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