A robotic squid built from origami can blast out water and glide with almost no drag.

Cephalopods like squid use a highly efficient cycle of pulsing and gliding that has been incredibly hard to replicate in machines. Engineers built a hybrid origami mantle that mimics this exact biological movement to achieve high-speed underwater propulsion. This system expels a large volume of water in a single pulse and then folds into a streamlined shape to reduce drag during the glide. It achieves significant speed increases compared to traditional underwater drones by mastering the full expulsion-gliding-refilling cycle. This design could lead to a new generation of ultra-efficient marine robots that move as gracefully as real sea creatures.