Roboticist Auke Ijspeert designs biorobots, machines modeled after real animals that are capable of handling complex terrain and would appear at home in the pages of a sci-fi novel. The process of creating these robots leads to better automata that can be used for fieldwork, service, and search and rescue. But these robots don't just mimic the natural world -- they help us understand our own biology better, unlocking previously unknown secrets of the spinal cord.

Auke Ijspeert: A robot that runs and swims like a salamander

A robot that runs and swims like a salamander

Robots inspired by salamanders reveal secrets of animal locomotion, offering insights into the neural and mechanical synergy in movement.

Exploring how salamanders and robots unlock secrets of locomotion, revealing spinal cord's role in controlling complex movements.

Pleurobot, a robotic salamander, illustrates evolutionary links in locomotion from aquatic to terrestrial, aiding scientific inquiry.