Mother knows best - even in the science of holding things in place! The razor clams found on the mudflats off the coast at nearby Gloucester, MA is offering a very efficient way of anchoring - way better than throwing a big piece of rock to keep your ship in place.
Comparing the razor clam and its robot counterpart - src: BBC
Poking something like the clam on sand will only give you a few centimeters - pushing more might even cause damage to its shell. However the razor clam has a method to turn the solid seabed to a quicksand like consistency that will allow it to burry further down. The shell's movements aggitates the surounding sand making it easier to slip in.
The researchers copied the movements of the razor clam and made the RoboClam - a robotic contraption that can be used to anchor small submarines, detoname mines and can even be used for deep sea cabling applications!
Is this Robot Project the result of your personal work?
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