Star Wars destroyer droids and Metroid morph balls might be beyond modern technology, but their basic trappings are within reach. Norwegian engineer Kåre Halvorsen built this robot sphere in his spare time, with six retractable, expanding legs that let it dance when it’s not rolling. Well, technically, it doesn’t roll quite yet, as the prototype’s 25 servo motors haven’t been programmed to do that, but Halvorsen says that’s next. Then, we just need a few propellers, some hydraulic jumping legs and a smartphone app to control it, and we’ll be in business.
MorpHex robot rolls into a ball, has six legs for roaming around
Norwegian engineer Kåre Halvorsen built a robot sphere in his spare time, with six retractable, expanding legs that let it dance when it’s not rolling.
Norwegian engineer Kåre Halvorsen built a robot sphere in his spare time, with six retractable, expanding legs that let it dance when it’s not rolling.
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
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