Spinning-mass robots that roll and swim could soon achieve insect-like flight

An orange wheel suddenly leaps off the ground as if defying gravity, part of a new generation of robots that move using nothing more than spinning masses inside their bodies. At Clemson University, mechanical engineering professor Phanindra Tallapragada has developed machines that harness centripetal force—the same physics that makes washing machines vibrate when clothes bunch up on one side. His lab has created a jumping wheel that can instantly repeat its motion for rough terrain, a fish-like swimmer that adjusts its diving by changing rotation speed, and a bristled robot that squirms through pipes as narrow as an inch. "A lot of robotics today is perceived as designing something with motors, microcontrollers, machine learning and AI—and less importance is given to the dynamics and math," Tallapragada said. With support from a National Science Foundation grant, the team is now working on insect-inspired flying robots using the same principle, envisioning future planetary explorers that could roll, jump, swim, and fly across alien worlds.