A new robot from MIT can adapt its capabilities with a simple outfit change. The tiny robot called Primer, developed by the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, puts on different exoskeletons allowing it to roll, float, drive and even glide.
Primer starts as a cube, but uses heat to put on the new exoskeleton, which are folded from a rectangular sheet. It can also put on multiple to combine their capabilities. Built-in magnets control the robot’s movement, and to remove its suit, Primer submerges itself in water.
Currently, Primer’s exoskeleton options include the walk-bot for walking, the wheel-bot for quicker movement, the boat-bot for floating and carrying twice its weight and the glider-bot for flying.
Get the full story and check out a video on our sister site The Robot Report.