Humans and other vertebrates run fastest by minimising their contact with the ground. But the same isn’t true of six-limbed insects, which run fastest when they have three legs on the ground at once, like a tripod.
Robots clean rivers and sort waste, monitor ecosystems, and inspect renewable-energy infrastructure. But even the greenest robot has an environmental footprint.
EPFL engineers have designed acoustic cavities that convert sound waves into thrust, propelling small robots and ultralight aerial vehicles without on-board actuators or electronics.