Rahul Somvanshi
A new robot that moves like an eel is helping scientists understand how animals can travel between water and land. This discovery could lead to better robots for emergency rescues and exploring hard-to-reach places.
Scientists from Canada, Switzerland, and Japan worked together to figure out how eels manage to swim and crawl so well. Their findings, published in a major science journal, show that special sensing systems help these animals adapt to different environments.
“Our study introduces a new model to explain the control of locomotion in elongated amphibious animals,” says Emily Standen, who teaches at the University of Ottawa and led part of the research.
The team built a robot called Agnathax to test their ideas. The robot’s control uses stretch and pressure feedback, inspired by eel sensing. A controller combining local spinal-like circuits and feedback coordinates its motion.
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What makes this discovery special is how these sensing systems create backup plans for movement. If one part of the system fails, the animal can still move smoothly – which explains why eels can keep swimming even with serious spinal injuries.
The researchers found two key types of feedback that help with movement. Pressure feedback senses when the body touches surfaces, while stretch feedback detects how the body bends. These work with natural movement patterns built into the spinal cord to create smooth motion.
“Our models point to sensory feedback as the key to allowing them to maintain their locomotor performance,” says Professor Standen.
Each research team played a specific role in the project. The Ottawa team studied real eels, the Japanese team created computer models, and the Swiss team built and tested the robot.
During tests, the robot wore a special “swimming wet suit” for water movement. On land, it navigated through a field of pegs that simulated rocky terrain. The robot could push against these pegs to move forward, just like an eel might use rocks to slither across land.
The redundant sensing systems provide backup ways to coordinate movement.
“By using eels as a living model, we were able to guide our robot designs with real biology,” explains Standen.
The findings could help engineers build tougher, more adaptable robots. Future machines might keep working even when damaged or navigate through cramped spaces during search-and-rescue missions.
What’s most impressive is how these robots can coordinate movement without complex communication between parts. The robot’s sections organize themselves through environmental feedback rather than following central commands.
“This research provides new ways of understanding how animals move, which can help both science and technology,” says Standen.
The study, funded by the Human Frontier Science Program, shows how nature’s designs can inspire better robots. Its full title is “Multisensory feedback makes swimming circuits robust against spinal transection and enables terrestrial crawling in elongate fish.”
