Transformable

Japan's giant human-piloted, humanoid Gundam-style robots are neat and everything, but … why walk if you can roll on four wheels? That's what the Archax does, transforming between robot and vehicle configurations.

If you're traveling with a small child, you typically have to bring both a folding stroller and a suitcase. The Strollug is designed to simplify matters by transforming from a stroller into luggage and back again, as needed.

Most powered wheelchairs have at least two problems: they can't climb stairs, and the user has to remain in a single seated position. An experimental new robotic wheelchair, however, addresses both shortcomings.

If a robot is trying to traverse rugged, irregular terrain, it's limited by having just one body shape. The Tetraflex robot was designed with this fact in mind, as it can change shape to adopt different modes of locomotion.

If you're trying to distribute environmental sensors over a wide area by dropping them from a drone, you don't want them all landing in the same place. With that fact in mind, University of Washington scientists have created origami "microfliers."

Robots often struggle to adapt to changing conditions. Now engineers at Caltech have designed a new robot that can roll around on four wheels, flip them into rotors to fly, or transform for six other types of motion.

It's certainly not uncommon for backpackers to carry a rain poncho, hammock, shelter and groundsheet. The Nomad Cape is aimed at lightening their load, by combining all four pieces of gear in one unit.

Multicopter and fixed-wing drones use up a lot of power fighting the wind. The Morpho VTOL drone addresses this problem with morphing wings that adapt to lessen its wind resistance. In fact, they can even use the wind to the aircraft's advantage.

If you do a lot of cycling, you may wish to park your bike horizontally on the floor, store it vertically against the wall, or work on it using a repair stand. Well, the Rak One is a single device that serves all three purposes.

A remarkable group of drone prototypes from a team at the University of Tokyo takes multirotor complexity to the next level. These hypnotic flying robots are able to change their structural shape mid-air, creating some unprecedented capabilities.

If you're going on a self-propelled river journey, is it really self-propelled if someone drives you back when you're done? Perhaps not – and that's why inventor Ben Kilner created a paddle-board/bike-and-trailer combo known as the Duckleberry Finn.

Stand-up paddle boards certainly can be fun, but kayaks are generally a faster, more efficient means of getting around. Watercraft company Bote has now combined the best features of both, in its redesigned Rackham Aero paddle board.