The ability to modify morphology in response to environmental changes represents a highly advantageous feature in biological organisms, facilitating their adaptation to diverse environmental conditions. While some robots have the capability to modify their morphology by utilizing adaptive body parts, the practical implementation of morphological transformations in robotic systems is still relatively restricted. This limitation can be attributed, in part, to the intricate nature of achieving such transformations, which necessitates the integration of advanced materials, control systems, and design approaches. In nature, a range of morphology adaptation strategies is employed to achieve optimal performance and efficiency, such as those employed by crocodiles and alligators, who adjust their body posture depending on the speed and the surface they traverse on. Drawing inspiration from these biological examples, this paper introduces Adjustbot, a quadruped robot with an undulating body capable of adjusting its body posture. Its adaptive morphology allows it to traverse a wide range of terradynamically challenging surfaces and facilitates avoidance of collisions, navigation through narrow channels, obstacle traversal, and incline negotiation.

翻译：生物体响应环境变化而改变形态的能力，是其适应多样化环境条件的高度优势特征。尽管部分机器人已能通过自适应身体部件实现形态变化，但形态变换在机器人系统中的实际应用仍相对受限。这一局限性部分归因于实现此类变换的复杂性——需要融合先进材料、控制系统及设计方法。在自然界中，生物采用多种形态适应策略以实现最优性能与效率，例如鳄鱼和短吻鳄会根据运动速度和地表类型调整身体姿态。受这些生物实例启发，本文提出Adjustbot——一种具有波状躯干且能调节身体姿态的四足机器人。其自适应形态学特性使其能够穿越各类具有地形动力学挑战性的复杂表面，并具备碰撞规避、窄通道通行、障碍跨越及坡面通过等能力。