Revolutionary robot that ‘thinks’ with its legs moves faster than a Ferrari

By Stephen Beech

A revolutionary new robot with no brain that can move faster than a Ferrari “thinks” with its legs.

Dutch scientists have created one of the fastest soft robots yet, which is able to walk, hop and swim without the aid of electronics or AI - just soft tubes, air, and some clever physics.

It contains no computer, no software, and no sensors.

Yet it is still able to move at speed with "surprising coordination and autonomy" - simply because of its body and how it interacts with the world, according to a study published in the journal Science.

Engineers at the AMOLF research institute in Amsterdam explained that the robot works on the same principle as the wobbly, inflatable tube dancers that flail around on garage forecourts.

They say the same physics that makes them wiggle could hold the key to the next generation of autonomous robots.

Powered by a continuous stream of air alone, each of the robot's soft, tubular legs begins to oscillate, not unlike those tube dancers.

On its own, each leg waves around randomly.

But when many are coupled together, something unexpected happens: their motions quickly synchronise, falling into rhythmic locomotion gaits.

Study first author Alberto Comoretto said: “Suddenly, order emerges from chaos.

“There's no code, no instructions. The legs simply fall into sync spontaneously, and the robot takes off.”

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As with fireflies flashing in synchrony or heart cells pulsating in unison, he explained that "complex" collective motions arise from simple interactions.

When a flow of air is given as input, the robot hits 30 body lengths per second.

Comoretto, a PhD student in soft robotic matter, says that, relatively speaking, a Ferrari reaches “only” 20 lengths per second.

He said: "This speed is orders of magnitude faster than other air-powered robots, which typically require centralised control."

And if the robot runs into an obstacle, it reorients itself.

Comoretto said: "When it moves from land to water, the gait spontaneously shifts from an in-phase hopping pattern to a swimming freestyle.

"These transitions happen without any central processor or control logic.

"Instead, movement emerges from the tight coupling between body and environment."

Study co-author Dr Mannus Schomaker said: “In biology, we often see similar decentralised intelligence.

“Sea stars, for example, coordinate hundreds of tube feet using local feedback and body dynamics, not a centralized brain.”

The research challenges the conventional idea that robots need complicated control systems to realise lifelike behaviour.

Principal investigator Professor Bas Overvelde said: “Simple objects, like tubes, can give rise to complex and functional behaviour, provided we understand how to harness the underlying physics."

He prefers not to call it a robot at all, adding: "There is no brain, no computer. Essentially, it's a machine.

"But when properly designed, it can outperform many robotic systems and behave like an artificial creature.”

The researchers say possible future applications range from smart pills to space tech.