Researchers have created a tiny, shape-shifting robot that swims, crawls, and glides freely in the deep sea.

Developed by a team at the Beihang University in China, the robot operated at a depth of 10,600 meters in the Mariana Trench.

Using the same actuator technology, a soft gripper mounted on a submersible’s rigid arm successfully retrieved sea urchins and starfish from the South China Sea, demonstrating its capability for deep-sea exploration and specimen collection.