Robots are increasingly being employed by paleontologists to study prehistoric creatures, providing insights into previously opaque aspects of their behaviour, such as their historic habitats and feeding habits.
Computational models are already adept at predicting biological mechanics, but creating software to simulate uneven surfaces and turbulent environments presents a challenge.
John Nyakatura, an evolutionary biologist at Humboldt University in Berlin, is one such researcher who has utilised robotics to revive a 280 million-year-old creature called Orobates pabsti.
Nyakatura utilised computer-aided design and 3D printing to build a robot copy of the creature, which was twice the size of the original.
Robotics is an “underexplored area” which can contribute to scientific progress, says Michael Ishida, a roboticist at Cambridge University.