The Atlantic Razor Clam Inspired RoboClam

In the field of robotics imitating nature is often considered the best way to proceed. In keeping with this tradition the researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a RoboClam that is inspired by the Atlantic razor clam which is a large species of mollusc found on the North American coast.

The razor clam has the ability to quickly dig into the wet sand and hide itself from predators. The RoboClam also is a digging robot that can burrow itself in the wet sand. While the razor clam can go 2 cm into the ground, the robotic imitation can go 70 cm. This action is accomplished by quickly opening and closing the shells of the clam so that the surrounding soil becomes fluid and allows the clam to dig in quickly.

Professor Amos Winter, of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is the leader of the research. As per him there are many applications where a small, lightweight, low-power, reversible anchor would be very valuable. At the moment they are working on a science project with an underwater robotics company called Bluefin Robotics.  They produce vehicles that need to remain stationary in a current, and could therefore benefit from a small anchor said Winter. It will be interesting to see what the partnership produces.