Small wonder that scientists want to copy the cockroach, one of the most durable creatures around. But Harvard roboticists are now one-upping the insect with Harvard's Ambulatory Microbot (HAMR). The new, next-generation HAMR can walk on land, swim on the surface of water, and walk underwater for as long as needed. What gives HAMR its terrain flexibility are the multifunctional feet, made of electrowetting pads (EWP). The focus of electrowetting is reducing the surface tension in a liquid/solid interaction via electricity. That is, an electric charge makes it easier for materials to break a water surface.

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• Country: USA 
• Company: Harvard University