Amphibious vehicles is a craft which travels on both land and water. And it doesn't need to be limited to just cars. There are amphibious bicycles, buses, and RVs. Hovercraft are amphibious, too!

Amphibious crafts started back in the 1800s as steam-powered barges. In the 1950s, the German Schimmwagen was a small jeep that could travel in water as well as on land. The most popular amphibious vehicle on the market is the 1960 Amphibicar (photo shown left) and later the Gibbs Aquada.

The secret to making an amphibious vehicle is this: it must be designed so it floats in water (it must be watertight and buoyant) and robust enough to travel on land. Many amphibious creations either leaked, sank, or never made it off the drawing board. But that's what being a scientist is all about: coming up with an overall goal and figuring out a way to overcome the problems faced along the way.

We're going to build our own version using items like foam blocks and hobby motors. Are you ready?
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16 Responses to “Amphibious Robot”

  1. You’ll need something that will allow the skewer to pass through and still be able to rotate, you are building a wheel and axle assembly. If you don’t have a specific item, please watch the video and see what you will be able to substitute that will still give you the result we’re after.

  2. khansamahmood1 says:

    what if you don’t have straws?

  3. arrowmakercpi says:

    Good example of propulsion!!!

  4. Aurora Lipper says:

    It would be bad for the motor, wires, or batteries to get wet. Instead of a pool, I recommend testing it in a bathtub with just enough water for the Styrofoam to float.

  5. ruthmmartens says:

    Is it possible to put this robot in the pool? Also, would it be bad if the motor or wires get wet?

  6. No, there isn’t a worksheet for this activity. But you can make up your own experiments.

  7. vanessa_jeftimov says:

    Hi Aurora, is there a worksheet for this activity?

  9. laurenzavlunov says:

    my car dose not move

  10. Which plan are you looking for? The “game plan”?

  11. maimonebus says:

    how do you print the plan out

  12. Susan Williamson says:

    this was so cool we loved it

  13. Is the propeller in the water or above the water? It should move in some fashion since water is such a low friction environment. Can you send a picture?

  14. BJ Lackey says:

    Our robot’s propeller moves but the robot doesn’t, any suggestions?

  15. You can use a scrap piece cardboard, or a block of foam from packing material, or anything about that size and lightweight.

  16. Jessie Lin says:

    Aurora,
    Could you tell me where to get foam block or other supplement? Thanks,