A research team from AMOLF in Amsterdam created a soft robot that walks, hops, and swims — all without a brain, electronics, or AI. Just soft tubes, air, and some clever physics. Powered by a continuous stream of air alone, each of the robot’s soft, tubular legs begins to oscillate — not unlike those tube dancers. On its own, each leg waves around randomly. But when many are coupled together, something unexpected happens: their motions quickly synchronise, falling into rhythmic locomotion gaits hitting 30 body lengths per second. Watch the video [Source: New Scientist on youtube.com]
