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Tensegrity Continuum Robots Enable Task-Adaptive Morphologies for Cooperative Behaviors

Tensegrity Continuum Robots Enable Task-Adaptive Morphologies for Cooperative Behaviors

Mahmud Hasan Saikot, Sydney Spiegel, Sudheera Akalanka Kariyawasam, Andrew Stefka, Josh Chrisler, Jianguo Zhao · N/A · 2026

manipulation locomotion reinforcement-learning
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Summary

Robots that can change their morphologies and behaviors for different tasks and environments hold great promise for adaptable, multifunctional systems.

Abstract Summary

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.

Key Points

  • 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.

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

|Venue: arXiv preprint | Year: 2026

|arXiv: 2608.27221v1

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.

Key Contributions

  • Robots that can change their morphologies and behaviors for different tasks and environments hold…
  • Modular reconfigurable robots (MRRs) can achieve such functionalities by docking and rearranging …
  • Continuum robots offer compliance through flexible backbones, yet they cannot self-reconfigure in…
  • Here, we introduce an MRR that unifies the advantages of both architectures by combining a tenseg…
  • Each robot can manipulate and locomote independently, and multiple robots can self-reconfigure in…

Topics

  • manipulation
  • locomotion
  • reinforcement-learning

Code & Data

No code repository linked in paper metadata.

BibTeX

@article{Saikot2026_260827221v1,
  title     = {Tensegrity Continuum Robots Enable Task-Adaptive Morphologies for Cooperative Behaviors},
  author    = {Mahmud Hasan Saikot and Sydney Spiegel and Sudheera Akalanka Kariyawasam and Andrew Stefka and Josh Chrisler and Jianguo Zhao},
  year      = {2026},
  eprint    = {2608.27221v1},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  primaryClass  = {cs.RO},
  url       = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27221v1}
}
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