The first deployable 'soft' robot has just been developed, and it's perfect for space missions

You're probably familiar with robots. You've seen them in movies, in science class, and probably in your own hand in the form of a smartphone.

But prepare to be thrown for a loop, because there's a new type of robot being developed, and it's soft. That's right, kids. It's soft.

There's actually a good reason for this new development, which is being explored by Wei Wang and team at Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University. The robot, called DeployBot, is pretty ideal for space missions.

You can think about this kind of robot as akin to an invertebrate organism. Motorized robots are like vertebrates, with the motor as the backbone. This has many benefits, such as endurance and durability. However, if a vertebrate needs to squeeze through the tiny opening under a door, it's more or less out of luck. That's where the invertebrate has a strong advantage. Soft robots have similar benefits in space travel.

DeployBot is a modular robot that moves without the use of motors or other mechanical bits, instead relying on a shape memory alloy that runs through each section. Composed of eight modules, four of these sections are "legs," and the others make up the "body." The entire structure can be folded and made more compact if necessary.

This soft robot is able to walk thanks to an electric current that runs through the wires inside of its "legs." Because it does not require heavy machinery, it has a low mass and a relatively low cost to build and operate. Its materials are also less susceptible to the complications that come with operating a robot in space or under water, which makes space missions ¬– as well as exploring the ocean floor – much more attainable.

Who knows? The DeployBot may even be the thing that propels us into uncharted territory in space. But either way, it's a super cool development.

Watch next: Friendly robot educated kids with augmented reality