cs.ROAug 27, 2026

Tensegrity Continuum Robots Enable Task-Adaptive Morphologies for Cooperative Behaviors

Authors: Mahmud Hasan Saikot, Sydney Spiegel, Sudheera Akalanka Kariyawasam, Andrew Stefka, Josh Chrisler, Jianguo Zhao

Organizations: Adaptive Robotics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

Abstract

Robots that can change their morphologies and behaviors for different tasks and environments hold great promise for adaptable, multifunctional systems. Modular reconfigurable robots (MRRs) can achieve such functionalities by docking and rearranging individual units, but most rely on rigid modules that lack structural compliance, resulting in limited capabilities. Continuum robots offer compliance through flexible backbones, yet they cannot self-reconfigure into task-adaptive multi-robot configurations. Here, we introduce an MRR that unifies the advantages of both architectures by combining a tensegrity-based compliant body with claw-based connection mechanisms. Each robot can manipulate and locomote independently, and multiple robots can self-reconfigure into different morphologies (e.g., chains, loops, branches) for cooperative manipulation and locomotion. We demonstrate the robots' capability across diverse tasks and environments, including coordinated object manipulation and transport, multimodal locomotion, and loco-manipulation in real-world scenarios. These results lay a foundation for adaptable and multifunctional robotic collectives, with broad potential applications in manufacturing, space exploration, and search-and-rescue operations.

Explore similar work

CardsList
  1. Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot with Modular Stiffness and In-Situ Self Pose Estimation

    Sep 14, 2026Guo Ning Sue, Zheng Cao, Junzhe Hu +5Modular RoboticsRobotics

  2. Design and Control of Modular Magnetic Millirobots for Multimodal Locomotion and Shape Reconfiguration

    Feb 22, 2026Erik Garcia Oyono, Jialin Lin, Dandan ZhangModular RoboticsRobotics

  3. Recompositional Robotics: Cross-Domain, Open-set, and Lifelong Modularity Beyond Morphology

    Sep 29, 2026Steven Swanbeck, Jonathan Salfity, Corrie Van Sice +2Modular RoboticsRobotics