A robotic platform inspired by California blackworms, known for tangling together into a moving blob, has been built by researchers at Harvard University.
When California blackworms are exposed to dry conditions or other environmental stressors they will clump together to form an entangled blob. Doing so helps conserve moisture and regulate temperature.
Just as quickly as they entangle, they can also disentangle when they sense danger, such as the approach of a predator.
A research team led by Harvard John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) used this blackworm behaviour as the inspiration for the design of a robotic platform that similarly features robotic worms that join together to accomplish tasks, such as crossing gaps or climbing walls.
“We look at the biological system and we say, ‘Look how cool this is,’” said Justin Werfel, senior research fellow who heads the Designing Emergence Laboratory at SEAS.
The soft, thin, worm-like threads are made from synthetic...