Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably ...

Robots have come a long way since they were first imagined over 100 years ago, and this new Chinese model continues to push the tech forward.

Imagine running on a cement footpath, and then suddenly through dry sand. Just to keep upright, you would have to slow down and change the way you run. In the same way, a walking robot would have to ...

Researchers at a Chinese university have built a soft, human-inspired robot that can physically grow and shrink on command, mimicking the way human bones elongate during development. The robot, called ...

While humans need the right tools for the right job, some robots simply need the right outfit to roll, carry, push, and even glide. Primer, a tiny magnetic bot developed by researchers at MIT's ...

If a robot is trying to traverse rugged, irregular terrain, it's limited by having just one body shape. The Tetraflex robot was designed with this fact in mind, as it can change shape to adopt ...

But shape-shifting robots, which are controlled by magnetic fields, can dynamically squish, bend, or elongate their entire bodies. "Such a robot could have thousands of small pieces of muscle to ...

"Tiny, shape-shifting robot can squish itself into tight spaces." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2023 / 08 / 230830131742.htm (accessed February 20, 2026).

(Nanowerk Spotlight) Of course, most robots can change directions, speeds – some can even change their colors. But what about changing their shapes? Researchers are beginning to create robots that can ...

Researchers have created a new class of robots that can shift between solid and liquid forms on demand. In a series of tests, these new bots could change shape to run obstacle courses, carry objects, ...