NUS Creates Octopus-Inspired Swimming Robot Driven by Just Two Motors
lukas_m_ziegler · x · 2026-08-04
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a highly streamlined, octopus-inspired swimming robot.
Unlike previous multi-arm designs that require eight individual actuators, this robot utilizes an umbrella-like mechanism to coordinate its eight soft arms using only two motors. As it swims, the arms gently open to reduce drag and quickly close to generate thrust, perfectly mimicking the jet-propulsion used by real octopuses. In lab tests, it reached speeds of up to 314 mm/s, matching the performance of more complex systems while offering significantly greater energy efficiency.
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