See also: DASH, the scampering cockroach-bot
A shape-shifting robot that can shrink itself to squeeze through cracks has been designed by researchers from iRobot (the makers of Roomba) and the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The robot uses the "jamming of a granular medium to achieve locomotion". Jamming is a mechanism that allows material to change from a solid state to a liquid-like state, says the team. In this robot design, a mixture of air and loosely packed particles are held within an elastic skin. By pulling out the air, the team can change the shape and size of the robot and also make it move.
The video above is the explanation the team presented at IEEE IROS 2009, which took place in St Louis this week.
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