When it comes to designing robots, the last animal you probably think of modeling the robot after would be a snail, well not these folks at the Biomechatronics Lab at Chuo University in Japan. They have created an omnidirectional robot (it can move in any direction) that has been inspired by how the snail moves (like an inchworm, sticking the front of its body on a surface and then dragging the rest of it behind it).
Using this unique movement as the basis of the robot’s design, they’ve managed to come up with a robot that can move in any direction without having to rotate! And the best part is that it doesn’t even leave a trail of slime behind to make a mess wherever it goes. No word on what practical applications this robot can be used for, but it does look fun. Hit the break to check out a video of it in action: