In an effort to create a more capable robot, researchers from Cornell University designed one that’s essentially many smaller robots stuck together. This modular formation means the robot can transform into whatever shape best suits the task at hand.
What makes this shape-shifting robot remarkable is that it doesn’t need anyone telling it when to change shape — it figures that out on its own using a system of cameras, sensors, and AI software.
If the bot decides its current shape isn’t ideal for completing a task, it switches it up — various parts detach and reattach themselves to the robot’s main body. This allows it to navigate narrow spaces or even inchworm itself up a set of stairs.
Let’s just hope the researchers building the next generations of these transforming robots model them after the Autobots and not the Decepticons.