Uploaded March 2013 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago

---

Terradynamics of legged locomotion on granular media in natural sand. This six-legged robot is able to move efficiently across a bed of dry, loose sand. Its maximum speed was a little over 2 feet per second, with each leg making 5 cycles in that amount of time.

Read the full story at: discovermagazine.com/technology/robot-designed-to-run-like-a-lizard-over-sand

—

Video courtesy of Chen Li, Tingnan Zhang, & Daniel Goldman

—

ABOUT DISCOVER:
Discover is your source for science that matters, makes sense and is a lot of fun, too.
Visit us at: discovermagazine.com

FOLLOW US:
Facebook: facebook.com/DiscoverMag
Twitter: twitter.com/DiscoverMag
Instagram: instagram.com/discover.magazine

SUPPORT US:
Subscribe to Discover: bit.ly/34seAFT
Sign up for our newsletter: discovermagazine.com/newsletter-signup
My Science Shop: myscienceshop.com

STAY CURIOUS!