cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/650507

It uses its limb-like rotors and wheels to move in a wide range of ways, saving energy and making it more versatile.

You can read more about M4 in the research paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39018-y

M4 was also covered in an article by TheVerge posted on /c/technews@radiation.party

In all, the M4 can “achieve eight distinct types of motion,” and Caltech’s press release says it can decide what to do autonomously using artificial intelligence to survey surrounding conditions. Gharib says its abilities could be useful when shuttling injured people to hospitals or exploring other planets.