China's humanoid robot GrowHR floats, swims, flies, and walks on water

Researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Shenzhen, China, have developed GrowHR, a soft humanoid robot inspired by human bone structures that can shapeshift, float, swim, fly, and walk on water. Weighing just 9.9 pounds (4.5 kilograms), GrowHR features linked structures capable of extending up to 315 percent in length and shrinking significantly to navigate confined spaces. Its design incorporates soft expandable chambers, tensioned cables, rigid adapters, and a nonstretchable textile layer to balance flexibility, strength, and stability. This allows the robot to nearly triple its height to 1.36 meters, crawl efficiently, and maintain balance during complex movements, demonstrating a level of adaptability and mobility beyond typical soft or rigid robots. GrowHR’s lightweight body enables it to perform diverse tasks such as floating, swimming, and even flying with the assistance of ducted fans or quadrotors, covering distances of several meters. It can walk on water