When building a bot, an important question designers face is how they want it to move around. Give it two legs? How about six? Or maybe wheels like a car, or treads like a tank? Instead of picking just one, the Galileo claims the advantages to be gained by having treads as well as wheels, merging the two to create shape-shifting pads which allow for speed and flexibility in the face of obstacles.

The Galileo has two big wheels surrounded by stretchy treads flanking its body, but also uses tread extenders to change their shape. With the help of a stabilizing tail, the robot can scale all kinds of terrain from hills to stairs. The tail also has a guidance camera to aid steering. Galileo is marketing its stretchy tread technology to the military and to companies that use a lot of heavy machinery, but the company also has ideas for using the tech to make wheelchairs more maneuverable.

Click on through for a video of Galileo cruising around. — Kevin Hall

Galileo, via BotJunkie