Here is a robot that can detach a part of its body to escape difficult situations. It is inspired by lizards and ants. The Faboratory at Yale University researchers developed this robot for unstructured environments. As the video shows, it was able to get unstuck after a rock fell on its back limb. As they explain:
One reversible joint was weakened via Joule heating of the copper heater. The robot kept walking and left the stuck limb behind.
This soft robot features a “reversible cohesive interface made of thermoplastic elastomer that allows for strong attachment and easy detachment of distributed soft robot modules without direct human handling.”
[HT]