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Meet Metamorpho: A Robot Simulating Biological Transformation

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Metamorpho is a robotic platform designed for emulating the developmental induction of locomotor patterns across all animals. This video shows a robotic system with a transforming body morphology that simulates the biological transformation of a tadpole to a frog. Like a tadpole, Metamorpho starts to swim with tail alone while legs receive a feedback signal that induces leg locomotion. At the Wyss Institute, the team is conducting experiments with unique hardware and software to better understand this transition from tail swimming to leg propulsion. Understanding, and eventually controlling this induction process may revolutionize the field of neurorehabilitation, neuroplasticity and prosthetics.

This project was the winner of the Wyss Institute’s 2015 Director’s Challenge and will be used in further research.

Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

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