WHERE-Bot – Wheel-less Soft Robot from Tsinghua University

You know you’re a roboticist when playing with a Slinky leads to a scientific breakthrough.

Meet WHERE-Bot, a new soft robot from Tsinghua University that moves without wheels, legs, or even sensors. Instead, it turns itself inside out — literally — using a clever trick called everting. Think of it as a spring that’s constantly flipping through itself to move.

Inspired by the idea of connecting the two ends of a Slinky, researchers created a helical ring-shaped robot that can roll, rotate, and navigate in all directions — no GPS, no cameras, just smart design and physics.

Its secret? An unbalanced mass creates friction differences when the ring touches the ground, causing the robot to rotate and move toward the heavier side. It’s like controlled wobbling — but on purpose.

Best part? It doesn’t get stuck. When it hits an obstacle, it just flips itself and backs off gracefully.

With potential to explore underground tunnels, inspect pipes, or even roll through sand, WHERE-Bot could be a game-changer in unstructured environments.

Slinky fun, serious science.

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