A prototype crab-like robot made of lego, is set to make underwater exploration easier, according to the University of Bath.

One of the University’s post-graduate students has developed a robot based on the anatomy of crabs, which can move about on land, and after further adjustments it hoped fully amphibious operation below water will be achieved.

Charles Gage, the Biometrics & Technical Creativity MSc student who developed the project explained: “Nature knows what works best and can be a source of inspiration for engineering design.

“Crabs are perfect models for the kind of robot we wanted because they are ‘tried and tested’ amphibious vehicles.

“We studied the way crabs walk, their posture, gait and stride length. Then we applied this information on a model robot.

“The robot was built to copy the features of crabs with four pairs of legs divided in two halves. This biomimetic design is very stable, allows changes in direction and prevents mechanical interference between legs.”

The robot can also vary its walking speed by changing stride length, just as crabs do in Nature, whilst maintaining the same motor speed.

“This unique approach makes this robot very energy-efficient,” Gage continued.

“We tested the crab robot on Minehead Beach in Somerset, England, in early September 2007. The robot performed exceptionally well and tackled the beach, scrambling over pebbles and small stones easily.”