---
title: "A New Deep-Sea Robot Can Shape-Shift Into an Autonomous Submarine"
description: "A new deep-sea robot called Aquanaut can \"transform\" between being an autonomous submarine and a mermaid-like humanoid robot."
date: "2019-07-29"
modified: "2019-07-29"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/deep-sea-robot-shapeshift-autonomous-submarine"
categories:
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "robots"
  - "the digest"
---

# A New Deep-Sea Robot Can Shape-Shift Into an Autonomous Submarine

![A new deep-sea robot called Aquanaut can "transform" between being an autonomous submarine and a mermaid-like humanoid robot.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/deep-sea-robot-shapeshift-autonomous-submarine.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Houston Mechatronics\</em\>*

## Autobots, Roll Out

A new autonomous robot called Aquanaut may be the closest thing we have to a real-life Transformer.

The robot can shape-shift between a mermaid-like humanoid form and a submarine form, [according to *IEEE Spectrum*](<https://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/humanoids/meet-aquanaut-the-underwater-transformer>). That makes it better-suited for deep-sea repairs and other tasks that other robots struggle to perform — but are [too dangerous](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/autonomous-firefighting-robots>) for human divers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shimvNXyVtw

## Swimming Lessons

*IEEE Spectrum*'s Evan Ackerman watched Aquanaut during a test beneath the surface of a gigantic swimming pool that NASA uses to simulate microgravity for astronauts-in-training, where he watched the [autonomous sub](<https://futurism.com/swarm-autonomous-robots-future-maritime-exploration>) open up its outer chassis to reveal two claw-like arms.

For now, the robot is limited to swimming pool tests, *IEEE Spectrum* reports. But after that will come expeditions into in the ocean and then active deployment, where it's expected to service the deep-sea components of oil and gas-mining rigs.

## Extreme Conditions

The NASA pool access comes courtesy of the two-dozen or so former NASA employees who now work at Houston Mechatronics, Inc, the company developing Aquanaut.

"The type of skills that we have at NASA," HMI co-founder Nic Radford told *IEEE Spectrum*, "putting robots in remote locations, and getting them to do useful work in austere data environments, best matched this big problem: working offshore."

**READ MORE:** [Meet Aquanaut, the Underwater Transformer](<https://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/humanoids/meet-aquanaut-the-underwater-transformer>) \[*IEEE Spectrum*\]

**More on robots:** *[Navy's Giant New Robot Sub Will Prowl Ocean For Months Autonomously](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/giant-robot-sub-prowl-ocean>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)