The team of researchers designed and built a robotic sea turtle, which they are testing in varied environments on Notre Dame’s campus.

Sea turtles are intriguing animals for scientists due to their locomotive adaptability, which allows them to glide through ocean waters and manoeuvre like armoured vehicles over rocks and sand on land.

Now, the team at Notre Dame believes they have been able to recreate the animal’s unique gait and propulsion. The robot mimics a real sea turtle’s propulsion: its front flippers move it forward, while its smaller hind flippers allow it to change direction.

Nnamdi Chikere and John Simon McElroy with the robot sea turtle model / University of Notre Dame

Image credit: University of Notre Dame

Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin, assistant professor of electrical...