Shape-Shifting Robots: The Latest Robotic Development

This exciting robotic advancement is a futuristic step forward.

There is an exciting development happening in the robotic industry – shape-shifting robots. Imagine yourself walking on a neatly leveled road and then walking in a pool. You will have to change the way you walk depending on the surface. In the same situation, a typical robot will also have the ability to change the way it walks. But a shape-shifting robot will be able to make changes beyond that. It can alter the shape of its body to be equally fast in the pool.

How is that possible?

In an industrial setup, workers depend on robots to carry on difficult and dangerous tasks, like inspecting nuclear reactors, space exploration, and heavy-duty manufacturing. To finish these tasks, a static robotic exoskeleton will limit its capability. A shape-shifting robot, on the other hand, will be able to adjust in unexpected environments. It can learn the best body shape for various environments and change itself to become an integrated part of it.

Of course, most typical robots can change directions and speeds, but with the added ability to morph its body, the robot can overcome obstacles and continue to perform tasks despite the terrain and environment. Similar to deep neural networks, neuroscience and biology serve as an inspiration to engineers who are working on shape-shifting robots. Biological creatures like Octopuses can alter their body structure, stiffness, and behavior to accommodate a variety of environmental demands. Through this complex anatomy, Octopuses can squeeze through spaces that are much smaller than their bodies and navigate away from the predators.

Additionally, biological bodies possess highly regenerative characteristics and the ability to repair themselves. Salamanders, Octopuses, and Starfishes are known for their ability to grow back a damaged limb. This intelligent modification system serves as an important proof of principle and design inspiration for AI and robotic scientists.

Shape-Shifting Robotic Developments

1. DyRet

DyRET is a shape-shifting quadruped designed to test the concept. Each of DyRET's four legs has two telescopic sections that allow it to change the length of its thigh or shin bones. With built-in motors, the length of its legs can automatically change when the robot is working. DyRET also has sensors that make it aware of the surface it is walking on. A 3D camera points at the ground between its four legs to estimate how rough the ground is.

2. Shapeshifter

Shapeshifter is NASA's new robot which can morph into multiple configurations, designed to explore Saturn's moon Titan. Currently, NASA is testing a 3D-printed prototype of this robot and it can split into two halves with propellers that can float through the air like drones. The actual robot will be a mothercraft that will carry 12 mini-robots to the surface of Titan. Those mini-robots will work together to move the mothercraft to different locations. They will also be able to function individually. For example, the mini-robots will fly in different directions separately or a group and later link up together to explore further.

3. Origami Robot

MIT's Distributed Robotics Laboratory at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory lead a team that developed the first iteration of an origami-inspired robotic design. According to the official paper published in the journal PNAS, it is said that this mini robot  "constitutes elements that interact and rearrange intelligently" to achieve its goal. The tiny robot works using a sheet of glass fiber and hydrocarbon materials. For it to bend, the sheet uses elastic, plastic creases that divide the sheet into 16, 4-inch squares. Using algorithms, the robot takes the form of origami objects like a tiny boat or a plane.