Mid-Air Transformation Is Here, and It’s Making Robots More Robust

ATMO, a new aerially transforming “morphabot,” seamlessly switches from quadrotor to ground vehicle mid-air using a single motor. Backed by aerodynamic studies and MPC control, it enables emergency slope landings, high-speed air–ground transitions, and greater fall tolerance—pushing the limits of robotic agility in the field.

"We designed and built a new robotic system that is inspired by nature—by the way that animals can use their bodies in different ways to achieve different types of locomotion," says Ioannis Mandralis  (MS '22), a graduate student in aerospace at Caltech and lead author of the new paper.