Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage

Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage

From mountain goats that run up near-vertical rock faces to armadillos that roll into a protective ball, animals have evolved to adapt effortlessly to changes in their environment. In contrast, when an autonomous robot is programmed to reach a goal, each variation in its pre-determined path presents a significant physical and computational challenge.

EPFL scientists have developed a bioinspired robot capable of changing shape according to the environment. This breakthrough published this week in Science Robotics is a new approach to robotic locomotion, according to its authors.