This tiny, shape-shifter robot can shed its exoskeleton to become whatever you need

While humans need the right tools for the right job, some robots simply need the right outfit to roll, carry, push, and even glide.

Primer, a tiny magnetic bot developed by researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL), can don specially-treated sheets of plastic that form purpose-built shapes when heated. Each sheet essentially changes the shape of the robot and enhances the tiny bot's capabilities. One turns the robot into a very small boat, another makes it into a sort of wheel barrel, and still another turns the bot into a glider that doesn't stay aloft very long at all. Read more...