Amphibious Skating Robot Can Go Anywhere

Velox, which is Latin for "swift", can quickly go almost anywhere with its undulating locomotion. It can move over flat land, through snow, and through the water. The designers at Pliant Energy Systems explain that:

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.

Pliant suggests that Velox could be used rescuing humans who have become trapped on ice floes, delivering supplies in littoral combat situations, or hauling divers through water.

-via Kottke