The invention discloses a novel metamorphic eight-rod foldable wheel-leg robot. The robot comprises a trunk device, a wheel-leg device, a control module and two battery modules. The trunk device comprises a head structure, a waist structure and a tail structure, wherein the waist structure comprises two side parts which are distributed in bilateral symmetry about the head structure and the tail structure. According to the robot, a variable-degree-of-freedom variable-topology structure can be achieved through changes of the trunk structure, conversion of three configurations can be achieved, and the robot can adapt to work tasks in various space environments. In the first configuration, front-back relative translation in a horizontal plane can be realized, and the waist part can be twisted; in the second configuration, relative translation in a vertical plane can be realized, and the waist part can pitch; and in the third configuration, the head can horizontally move, the wheel track can be adjusted, and the waist can be contracted. The robot has the advantages of a legged robot and a wheeled robot at the same time, and not only can stably advance in rugged terrain, but also can quickly advance in flat road conditions.