Researchers at MIT and the University of Maryland built a robot clam that digs 10 times as efficient as current digging machines. Its design is based on the razor clam, which has a long narrow shell like a razor and has an exceptional digging ability. It works by contracting its body and creating a vacuum, a movement that disturbs the sand around it and causes the sand to fluidize with the water around it. This makes it much easier to burrow than a solid mass of sand, allowing the clam to use 10 times less energy than traditional digging. The researchers are now developing a larger version since a small model would be swept by ocean currents. At a proper size, these clam-inspired digging robots can be used for geological surveys, laying down underwater fiber-optic cables, and providing low cost anchors for ships and building purposes.
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