5Ws of a Morphing Robot

The morphing Good Over All Terrains (GOAT) robot in sphere mode. (Image: CREATE EPFL)

WHO

A bioinspired robot developed at EPFL can change shape to alter its own physical properties in response to its environment, resulting in a robust and efficient autonomous vehicle.

WHAT

Researchers led by Josie Hughes in the CREATE Lab in EPFL’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 — and created a new paradigm for robotic locomotion and control in the process. Thanks to its flexible yet durable design, GOAT can spontaneously morph between a flat ‘rover’ 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 appendages. Built from inexpensive materials, the robot’s simple frame is made of two intersecting elastic fiberglass rods, with four motorized rimless wheels. Two winch-driven cables change the frame’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 — much as a hedgehog protects its underbelly.

Thanks to its flexible yet durable design, GOAT can spontaneously morph between a flat ‘rover’ shape and a sphere as it moves. (Image: CREATE EPFL)

WHERE

Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

WHY

Robots like GOAT could be deployed quickly into uncharted terrain with minimal perception and a planning system and used in applications from environmental monitoring to disaster response, and even extraterrestrial exploration.

WHEN

The team aims to further improve algorithms to help exploit the unique capabilities of morphing, compliant robots, as well as scaling GOAT’s design up and down to accommodate different payloads.

For more information, contact Celia Luterbacher at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; +41 216-938-759.