Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Future Leaders in Robotics and AI Seminar Series: Increasing agility of insect robots through body shape morphing
Online Seminar
Heiko Kabutz
PhD Student
University of Colorado Boulder
Miniature robots offer new possibilities for access to confined spaces in applications such as high-value asset inspection. However, most current insect-scale robots lack the ability to adapt their shape for enhanced mobility. Inspired by insects' exoskeletal compliance, we developed modular robots with actuated legs, passive inter-segment flexures, and origami linkages for optimized mechanics. These robots demonstrate omnidirectional locomotion and can traverse various confinements. The exoskeletal shape-morphing design enables passive body compliance, allowing navigation through spaces smaller than the neutral body shape, advancing accessibility to previously unreachable terrains.
For more information, please visit:
https://robotics.umd.edu/FutureLeaders
Future Leaders in Robotics and AI Seminar Series: Increasing agility of insect robots through body shape morphing
Online Seminar
Heiko Kabutz
PhD Student
University of Colorado Boulder
Miniature robots offer new possibilities for access to confined spaces in applications such as high-value asset inspection. However, most current insect-scale robots lack the ability to adapt their shape for enhanced mobility. Inspired by insects' exoskeletal compliance, we developed modular robots with actuated legs, passive inter-segment flexures, and origami linkages for optimized mechanics. These robots demonstrate omnidirectional locomotion and can traverse various confinements. The exoskeletal shape-morphing design enables passive body compliance, allowing navigation through spaces smaller than the neutral body shape, advancing accessibility to previously unreachable terrains.
For more information, please visit:
https://robotics.umd.edu/FutureLeaders
