A spider-inspired, shape-changing robot has been created by engineers from the University of Colorado.

The 2 cm long mCLARI robot weighs less than 1 gram but can reportedly support more than three times its body weight.

Source: University of Colorado

The mCLARI is the latest iteration of the University of Colorado’s CLARI shape-shifting robot. However, mCLARI is 60% smaller in length, 38% smaller in mass and three times faster than the CLARI.

Capable of reaching running speeds of 60 mm per second, the mCLARI can move through cluttered environments and is being eyed for applications such as jet engine inspections and to assist first responders following an event such as a natural disaster.

An article detailing the robot, "mCLARI: a shape-morphing insect-scale robot capable of omnidirectional terrain-adaptive locomotion in laterally confined spaces," appears in the journal arXiv.

For more on the mCLARI, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of the University of Colorado.