Scientists literally reinvented the wheel with this new shape-shifting, all-terrain wheel design

Inspired by how liquid droplets work, this new wheel can morph from hard and circular to squishy, depending on the terrain.

For most people, “reinventing the wheel” is a silly idiom. For a team of South Korean scientists, it is their job. According to a new peer-reviewed research paper from the journal Science Robotics, the classic rubber circle could someday be a thing of the past. Scientists are experimenting with a new shape-shifting device that’s capable of being as hard—and fast—as regular tires, or as malleable as liquid metal, depending on the terrain they are traversing.

These new wheels can change shape in real time to roll over rough terrains; they can, in theory, overcome hurdles of almost any shape. The wheel’s inventors believe the design could change the way we build wheelchairs, robots, and any other movable vehicle, extending a machine’s capabilities far beyond what’s currently possible.