Meet the amphibious robotic cockroach.

Like some other robots, this one developed at Harvard University can walk on the surface of the water. But what sets this multi-functional robot apart are its abilities to walk on land and underwater and transition.

Harvard postdoctoral fellow Kevin Chen explains: “This is the first robot that can both walk on the surface of water, walk on land, transition into water and eventually come back. So the uniqueness of this robot is that a very small robot can do many different things.”

The robot weighs as much as a paperclip and can carry its own weight without sinking.

The biggest challenge for this micro machine: getting out of the water.

The force of the water’s surface tension is twice the robot’s weight and the hind legs encounter friction. The researchers solved that by stiffening the robot’s transmission. They also installed soft pads to the front legs to boost payload capacity and redistribute friction during climbing.

The next challenge for the researchers: finding a way to enable the robot to return to land without using a ramp.