"I was amazed when I saw those numbers," said Hosoi. "I thought we were onto something great then." The MIT scientists originally developed the RoboClam to anchor a small submersible known as the Bluefin, which was designed to gather information from the seabed. A traditional anchor would weigh too much and other vibration-based anchors took too much energy to use, both of which limited the use of the Bluefin. The RoboClam should solve these problems. That's the theory, at least, said Wolfgang Lohsert, an expert in granular media at the University of Maryland who is testing the RoboClam to more fully explain the burrowing abilities of the RoboClam and razor clams. "If you can dig more directly into sandy soil and also control the direction of the digging, there are a number of applications, including exploration of natural resources," said Lohsert. Oil giant Chevron is considering using the RoboClam as a new way to anchor its huge off-shore oil platforms. It might even be possible to use the drill on dry land.
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