NASA is developing this Robot named as PUFFER i-e Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robot
This robot was inspired by origami. Its lightweight design is capable of flattening itself, tucking in its wheels and crawling into places rovers can’t fit.
PUFFER’s compact design means numerous robots can be packed into a larger “parent” craft at a low payload cost, then deployed on a planet’s surface individually to increase surface mobility.
Over the past year and a half, PUFFER has been tested in a range of rugged terrains.
The idea is to explore areas that might be too risky for a full-fledged rover to go, such as steep slopes or behind sand dunes.
PUFFER is meant to be the hardy assistant to a larger robot companion: several of the microbots can be flattened like cards and stacked one on top of the other.
Then, they can be flicked out, popped up and begin exploring.
