Aquapod Robot looks like a tumbling wireless router

The folks over at the University of Minnesota recently came up with the Aquapod: a small robot that can do what most robots of similar sizes can’t do – overcome obstacles and rough terrain. How does it work? Well, they’ve decided that instead of using wheels or tracks like most robots, this robot makes use of two arms that let the robot tumble around.

Made out of carbon fiber and connected to servo motors, the Aquapod can flip itself end-over-end in a somersaulting motion to get around – from sandy terrain, to rocky ground and even water (yes, the robot is waterproof, hence the name Aquapod), it can travel pretty much anywhere without any problems. When it is in water, it can even control its buoyancy to let it sink or let it stay on the surface and ride along with the waves.

The purpose of the Aquopod is to be used in water for monitoring or aquatic sensor deployment where a bunch of them could be released in water, floating up and down, taking measurements as they go along. The next step is implementing solar power to keep the Aquapod juiced. Check out a video demonstration after the break: