Building a better robot sometimes means looking outside the shop for inspiration. Borrowing from the characteristics and abilities of insects, birds, fish and mammals, scientists and engineers have designed robots that can swim, jump, snuggle, and steal books.

Salamandra robotica II

Inspiration: Salamander

Bright yellow and lithe, this robot salamander easily navigates both land and water – and can keep going, even if it loses a few body parts. Developed by the Biorobotics Laboratory at Switzerland's EPFL, Salamandra can scuttle over sand, then wind sinuously through a pool of water. Or a lake, to the amusement of swans (skip to 0:40 in linked video).

But rather than being avian entertainment, Salamandra's primary purpose is to help scientists understand how the brain controls locomotion.

Video: Kostas Karakasiliotis, Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL

BY NADIA DRAKE 05.02.13