# Inspired by elephant trunks, shape-shifting robots bend, grab and team up

Source: [Robotics News - Robot News, Robotics, Robots, Robotics Sciences](https://techxplore.com/news/2026-11-elephant-trunks-shifting-robots-team.html) · 2026-11-11 · Computing
Page: https://themorning.science/story/inspired-by-elephant-trunks-shape-shifting-robots-bend-grab-and-team-up-df89ef03fd930314
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- Researchers at Colorado State University developed a flexible, trunk-like robot inspired by elephant trunks.
- The robots can grip objects, bend, navigate difficult terrain and link together.
- The stated long-term goal is sending teams of these robots to aid space exploration or other complex tasks.

## Why it matters

It shows a soft, shape-changing robotic design that can grip irregular objects and connect modules, a approach that may inform future robots for space missions and other complex tasks.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: Colorado State University research on trunk-inspired shape-shifting robots reported by Robotics News and Nanowerk

## Coverage

- [Inspired by elephant trunks, these shape-shifting robots bend, grab and team up](https://www.nanowerk.com/news2/robotics/newsid=70585.php?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss) — Nanowerk Nanotechnology and Emerging Technologies News, 2026-11-11
- [Inspired by elephant trunks, shape-shifting robots bend, grab and team up](https://techxplore.com/news/2026-11-elephant-trunks-shifting-robots-team.html) — Robotics News - Robot News, Robotics, Robots, Robotics Sciences, 2026-11-11

Tags: soft robotics, biomimicry, elephant trunk, modular robots, space exploration

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science