{"id":654891,"date":"2025-02-27T11:25:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/morphing-robot-turns-challenging-terrain-to-its-advantage\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T11:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:25:11","slug":"morphing-robot-turns-challenging-terrain-to-its-advantage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/morphing-robot-turns-challenging-terrain-to-its-advantage\/","title":{"rendered":"#Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a297d82a20ff\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a297d82a20ff\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/morphing-robot-turns-challenging-terrain-to-its-advantage\/#Compliance_is_key\" >Compliance is key<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/morphing-robot-turns-challenging-terrain-to-its-advantage\/#The_path_of_least_resistance\" >The path of least resistance<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in sphere mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.jpg\" alt=\"Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage\" title=\"The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in sphere mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL\" width=\"800\" height=\"498\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in sphere mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>From mountain goats that run up near-vertical rock faces to armadillos that roll into a protective ball, animals have evolved to adapt effortlessly to changes in their environment. In contrast, when an autonomous robot is programmed to reach a goal, each variation in its pre-determined path presents a significant physical and computational challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers led by Josie Hughes in the CREATE Lab in EPFL&#8217;s School of Engineering wanted to develop a robot that could traverse diverse environments as adeptly as animals by changing form on the fly. With GOAT (Good Over All Terrains) they have achieved just that\u2014and created a new paradigm for robotic locomotion and control in the process.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to its flexible yet durable design, GOAT can spontaneously morph between a flat &#8220;rover&#8221; shape and a sphere as it moves. This allows it to switch between driving, rolling, and even swimming, all while consuming less energy than a robot with limbs or <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>endages.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While most robots compute the shortest path from A to B, GOAT considers the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> modality as well as the path to be taken,&#8221; Hughes explains. &#8220;For example, instead of going around an obstacle like a stream, GOAT can swim straight through. If its path is hilly, it can passively roll downhill as a sphere to save both time and energy, and then actively drive as a rover when rolling is no longer beneficial.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The research has been <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adp6419\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> in <i><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> Robotics<\/i>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mb-4\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\">\n    <meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.mp4\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Credit: Science Robotics (2025). DOI: 10.1126\/scirobotics.adp6419\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-02-26T15:08:26-05:00\"\/><br \/>\n        <meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video_tmb\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.mp4.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.mp4\"\/><br \/>\n            <video class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\" id=\"jwVID82464\" controls=\"\" poster=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video_tmb\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.mp4.jpg\"><source src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><\/source><\/video><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up mt-4\" itemprop=\"caption\">Credit: <i>Science Robotics<\/i> (2025). DOI: 10.1126\/scirobotics.adp6419<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Compliance_is_key\"><\/span>Compliance is key<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To design their robot, the CREATE team took inspiration from across the animal kingdom, including spiders, kangaroos, cockroaches, and octopuses. The team&#8217;s bioinspired approach led to a design that is highly compliant, meaning it adapts in response to interaction with its environment, rather than remaining rigid.<\/p>\n<p>This compliance means that GOAT can actively alter its shape to change its passive properties, which range from being more flexible in its rover configuration to being more robust as a sphere.<\/p>\n<p>Built from inexpensive materials, the robot&#8217;s simple frame is made of two intersecting elastic fiberglass rods, with four motorized rimless wheels. Two winch-driven cables change the frame&#8217;s configuration, ultimately shortening like tendons to draw it tightly into a ball. The battery, onboard computer, and sensors are contained in a payload weighing up to 2 kg that is suspended in the center of the frame, where it is well protected in sphere mode\u2014much as a hedgehog protects its underbelly.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"article-gallery js-article-gallery\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c-1.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in rover mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c-1.jpg\" alt=\"Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in rover mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c-2.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in sphere mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c-2.jpg\" alt=\"Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in sphere mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_path_of_least_resistance\"><\/span>The path of least resistance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>CREATE Lab Ph.D. student Max Polzin explains that compliance also allows GOAT to navigate with minimal sensing equipment. With only a satellite navigation system and a device for measuring the robot&#8217;s own orientation (inertial measurement unit), GOAT carries no cameras onboard: It simply does not need to know exactly what lies in its path.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Most robots that navigate extreme terrain have lots of sensors to determine the state of each motor, but thanks to its ability to leverage its own compliance, GOAT doesn&#8217;t need complex sensing. It can leverage the environment, even with very limited knowledge of it, to find the best path: the path of least resistance,&#8221; Polzin says.<\/p>\n<p>Future research avenues include improved algorithms to help exploit the unique capabilities of morphing, compliant robots, as well as scaling GOAT&#8217;s design up and down to accommodate different payloads. Looking ahead, the researchers see many potential applications for their device, from environmental monitoring to disaster response, and even extraterrestrial exploration.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Robots like GOAT could be deployed quickly into uncharted terrain with minimal perception and planning systems, allowing them to turn environmental challenges into computational assets,&#8221; Hughes says. &#8220;By harnessing a combination of active reconfiguration and passive adaptation, the next generation of compliant robots might even surpass nature&#8217;s versatility.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMax Polzin, Robotic locomotion through active and passive morphological adaptation in extreme outdoor environments, <i>Science Robotics<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adp6419\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1126\/scirobotics.adp6419<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne<br \/>\n                                                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"http:\/\/www.epfl.ch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/techx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v2\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage (2025, February 26)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 27 February 2025<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-02-morphing-robot-terrain-advantage.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2025-02-morphing-robot-terrain-advantage.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in sphere mode. Credit: CREATE EPFL From mountain goats that run up near-vertical rock faces to armadillos that roll into a protective ball, animals have evolved to adapt effortlessly to changes in their environment. In contrast, when an autonomous robot is programmed to reach a goal, each&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":654892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/morphing-robot-turns-c.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-654891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}