Shape Shifting Droids

Written by: Jair Mendes

        Droids that can have parts of their bodies that can mutate or shape shift to perform a certain task can be very helpful to our everyday needs. This droid can certainly reinvent itself. Scientists have developed a polymorphic robot. A machine/robot that can change its shape to perform whatever jobs that is present. This polymorphic structure was composed with various lengths of plastic bars, electric motors, which can shrink or extend, and joints which are ball-and-socket designs. A 3D printer easily created all these devices.

          These robots/droids can be used for many things such as search and rescue operations, planetary explorers, and bomb related missions. No matter the situation their shape will change to meet each and every task. Researchers have produced a simple model, which was developed by Hod Lipson and Jordan Pollack at Brandeis University. A quality the robot is lacking is the ability to move and sensors, but these can all be added at a later design.

          The task that will test to see the future robot capabilities is: "Figure out how to move using only one leg and one motor." This will be the task and to accomplish this task the computer will then attempt to design a body that will be the most efficient to meet this task. "Rapid Prototyping" is what the robot's body is built with. This is because it can produce 3D structures very rapidly. A 3D printer will be used to create the required structure that is needed. 3D printers are very large, which pose another problem, but one day a smaller one might be built into robots.

          These features will allow the robot to reshape its arm to reach something that's far away, reshape its leg to get something that's real high, and even to create tools using its arm and etc. Its capabilities will be endless within time. In a couple of years from now we might see these robots around.