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Researchers have developed a new type of robot inspired by a manta ray—and it can probably swim a whole lot better than you can.
In a study published on Nov. 18 in the journal Science Advances, the device was built by North Carolina State University engineers and is capable of performing a butterfly stroke-like motion. This allows it to swim much faster and more efficiently much like a manta ray does in the ocean.
It’s all a part of the burgeoning field of soft robotics, which are robots made of flexible materials to give it the ability to move and adapt to different environments. While it isn’t the first swimming soft robot, the butterfly bot from the NC State researchers is actually four times faster than its previous swimming counterparts.
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