The Shapeshifter Transformer Robot to investigate Titan

To explore the challenging terrain of distant planets, scientists will need a very reliable assistant and Shapeshifter robot, with its unusual design, will become one of them.

Titan (Saturn's satellite) is one of the priority areas for NASA research. Scientists believe that life could have existed on the planet. Moreover, primitive microorganisms, probably, still can be found there.

Cassini spacecraft has recently, transmitted fresh information about Titan. It turned out that the celestial body features a challenging landscape: it has many mountains, methane lakes and quite severe weather conditions. NASA will need new robots to explore this and other challenging objects and Shapeshifter will be one of them.

The device consists of two co-robots, with each of them capable to operate independently. They are multi-copter robots with full-fledged engines, batteries and navigation systems. The co-robots have limited functionalities, but they can be combined into a single device if necessary.

Their dynamic connection allows the robots to form complex structures of different shapes to better cope with the task at hand. For example, the ball shape is perfectly suited for mastering flat terrain. 

The Shapeshifter will be officially presented in 2020 with its exact specifications to become available at the time.