This new robot was shown off in Japan yesterday by Danish researcher Hautop Lund. The ATRON is designed to be completely modular, able to reconfigure itself into one of 100 different shapes with corresponding motions, from snake-like slithering to walking to rolling. Each link communicates with the others via an infrared link and is self-powered—they can even help charge a weaker unit but using their shells as a conductor. (Thanks, Kaspar!)
Shape-shifting robot shows off its moves [NewScientist]
