Centripetal-force robots that roll and swim could soon take flight

Researchers at Clemson University, led by mechanical engineering professor Phanindra Tallapragada, are developing robots that move using centripetal force generated by an unbalanced spinning mass inside each machine. This approach eliminates the need for complex joints, legs, or propellers, instead relying on the physics of an off-center mass spinning rapidly to create forces that push, lift, or twist the robot’s body. Examples include a remote-controlled wheel called the Spin Gyro that can jump repeatedly for rough terrain, a fish-like robot that swims efficiently by transferring energy to its tail, and a pipe-crawling robot that uses friction generated by vibrating bristles to move through narrow spaces. The team is now expanding this principle to aerial robots inspired by insect flight, aiming to use spinning masses to drive wings at high frequencies without conventional motors. Supported by a National Science Foundation grant, this research could lead to versatile robots capable of rolling, jumping, swimming, and flying, with potential applications in planetary exploration—such as