Robots have the potential to assist and complement humans in the study and exploration of extreme and hostile environments. For example, valuable scientific data have been collected with the aid of propeller-driven autonomous and remotely operated vehicles in underwater operations. However, because of their nature as swimmers, such robots are limited when closer interaction with the environment is required. Here, we report a bioinspired underwater legged robot, called SILVER2, that implements locomotion modalities inspired by benthic animals (organisms that harness the interaction with the seabed to move; for example, octopi and crabs). Our robot can traverse irregular terrains, interact delicately with the environment, approach targets safely and precisely, and hold position passively and silently. The capabilities of our robot were validated through a series of field missions in real sea conditions in a depth range between 0.5 and 12 meters.

机器人有潜力在研究和探索极端和敌对环境时辅助和补充人类。例如，在水下操作中借助于螺旋桨驱动的自主和远程操作的车辆已经收集了有价值的科学数据。然而，由于其作为游泳者的本性，当需要与环境进行更紧密的交互时，这种机器人受到限制。在这里，我们报告了一个名为SILVER2的受生物启发的水下有腿机器人，该机器人实现了受底栖动物（利用与海床的相互作用来移动的生物；例如章鱼和螃蟹）启发的运动方式。我们的机器人可以穿越不规则的地形，与环境进行精细的交互，安全，精确地接近目标，并被动地和安静地保持位置。