Of all the creatures on Earth that I thought could be models for robots, I never would have picked the clam. But now, mechanical engineers Anette "Peko" Hosoi and Amos Winter at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have done just that. They chose to emulate the Atlantic razor clam, also known as the Atlantic Jackknife Clam (Ensis directus) because it is one of nature's best diggers. Robot clams may one day help dig up and detonate buried underwater mines, researchers now reveal. They could also serve as smart anchors for robot subs or deep-sea oil drilling. You can read more at LiveScience.com in the article by Charles Q. Choi.
Credit: Donna Coveney
A new Roboclam developed by scientists can help in deep sea drilling projects.
Robotic Clam Could Detonate Underwater Mines
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Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:07:41 GMT