Shape-shifting

If a robot is going to excel at traversing multiple types of terrain, it shouldn't have an unadaptable "Jack of all trades, master of none" body shape. That's where the GOAT comes in, as it automatically changes shape depending on the landscape.

The CT-2 is a shape-shifting four-wheeled urban getabout, a tandem two-seater that can park in motorcycle spaces and filter through traffic – but that spreads its wheels wider for stability at higher speeds. It's slated for production in 2026.

Formless 'slime' robots that shape-change to complete complex tasks – it sounds like science fantasy. However, MIT researchers have developed a machine-learning technique that brings shape-changing soft robots a step closer to reality.

ANYmal is a truly remarkable robot, capable of standing and lifting things like a humanoid, or slinking around on all fours like a quadruped, with or without wheels. But what's really surprised us now is the eerie grace it's starting to move with.

Two wheels, a motor, a seat, some handlebars and some footrests: put 'em in one arrangement, and you've got a sportsbike. In another, a cruiser. Or an adventure machine. Or a commuter. Why not a single, shape-shifting architecture that does it all?

Researchers have created a low-cost fiber that contracts in response to heat, resuming its shape when the heat is removed. Compatible with existing textile-producing machinery, the shape-shifting fiber could have a myriad of uses.

Researchers have created a new class of robots that can shift between solid and liquid forms on demand. In a series of tests, these new bots could change shape to run obstacle courses, carry objects, or even escape from a jail cell like a Terminator.

Everyone who's driven laps around a packed parking area has had the thought at least once: Why can't my car shrink down to squeeze into a tiny space? Finally, it can – at least if your car is the all-new Israeli-designed City Transformer.

A retractable hard-top is standard fare, but how about a retractable body shell? That's what Audi explores with the new Skysphere concept, an e-roadster that transitions between autonomous touring and hard-nosed sports driving by adjusting in length.

"A racer partly driven like a car and partly flown like a fighter jet" – that's how Lotus describes the new E-R9. The futuristic Le Mans design study debuts as a sleek, aircraft-inspired race car with electric drive and fast-morphing body panels.

Ever wonder what Bugatti's quad-turbo W16 could do if decoupled from heavy, bulbous cars like the Chiron? Bugatti has, too, and it answers with the Bolide, an ultralight 1,825-hp hypercar parked at the bleeding edge of automotive possibility.

Although we have seen "morphing" structural materials before, they typically incorporate solenoids, pumps or motors. Now, however, scientists have developed a carbon fiber composite that shifts shape with a simple shot of electricity.