Rise of the machines! A robot that can ‘grow, retract, re-grow to different shape’

Robots are a common view these days in factories and other places. While they navigate pretty easily across open layouts, robots experience a bit of difficulty winding through narrow spaces to carry out tasks such as reaching for a product at the back of a cluttered shelf.

To solve this technologic complication, MIT engineers have developed a robot designed to extend a chain-like appendage flexible enough to twist and turn in any necessary configuration, yet rigid enough to support heavy loads or apply torque to assemble parts in tight spaces.