A Robot that Ice Skates AND Swims

If you’ve been looking for a robot that can both ice skate and swim underwater, well, look no further.

Here’s a video from Pliant Energy Systems showing off their ice skating robot, dubbed Velox, that moves a bit like a stingray. A stingray with robot parts and a motor.

“Velox can use several modes of locomotion found in the animal kingdom using just one pair of ‘fins’. These fins are best described as four-dimensional objects with a hyperbolic geometry that allows the robot to swim like a ray, crawl like a millipede, jet like a squid, and slide like a snake.”

The video here shows Velox moving on dry land, ice, snow, and finally taking a dip into the local pool. PES says their robot is versatile enough to perform a number of possible tasks, including ice rescues and polar ice missions.