WorMa robot worm shifts water ballast to climb coastal terrain

Researchers at NYU Tandon built WorMa, a 50-cm, just-over-1-kg robot worm with five segments and four joints. A pump moves 300 g of water between its head and tail to shift its center of mass, letting it climb slopes up to 19.5 degrees, swim 26% faster and scale steps up to 15 cm high.

• 50 cm long, just over 1 kg, five segments and four joints
• Pump shifts 300 g of water between head and tail
• Climbs slopes up to 19.5 degrees and steps up to 15 cm
• Moving water to the tail speeds up swimming by 26%