Articles tagged with Soft Robotics
Scientists have created a network of simple mechanical motors that replicate the key features of actomyosin, the molecular machinery underpinning human muscle contraction. The system 'self-organised' into coordinated travelling waves of motion and automatically adapted as the mechanical load increased, just like human muscles.
A team of researchers developed a fully biodegradable and compostable soft robotic electronic system that maintains high performance and durability during operation yet completely returns to nature after use. The system was made from a water-free biodegradable elastomer and integrated biodegradable inorganic electronic components, exhi...
Researchers created a robotic wing that senses and adapts to water flow, achieving double the stability of a barn owl's glide. The wing consumes five times less energy than traditional AUVs, paving the way for more agile and efficient underwater robots.
Researchers at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a new fabrication method for printing robotic devices with long filaments featuring precisely placed hollow channels. This allows the device to bend and deform in predetermined ways, enabling the creation of soft robots with predictable s...
A team of researchers from North Carolina State University has created a new method to produce ultra-stretchable, superomniphobic materials using laser ablation. The materials can withstand extreme stretching and deformations while maintaining their liquid-repellent properties.
Researchers discovered functional gradients in elephant and cat whiskers, allowing for precise touch sensing. The stiff-to-soft transition enables elephants to navigate their environment with ease, including picking up delicate objects.
Researchers developed a new AI control system that allows soft robots to learn a broad set of motions once and adapt instantly to changing conditions without retraining. The system combines structural learning with real-time adaptiveness, making it suitable for diverse tasks and environments.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has developed soft magnetorheological textiles with programmable control and flexibility. These innovative materials overcome traditional drawbacks of heavy magnetic powders and health risks, enabling precise intelligent modulation for various applications.
A multimillion-dollar grant supports Rice's Preston and Sanchez in advancing assistive clothing technology. They aim to create comfortable, scalable, and affordable garments that can provide support, balance, and stability for people with mobility limitations.
Scientists created biologically realistic artificial cilia using hydrogel, enabling precise control over their motion. The tiny structures can be powered by low-voltage electrical signals and have shown remarkable durability and versatility.
A low-cost, simple robotic apple picker arm developed by Washington State University researchers can pick an apple in about 25 seconds. The inflatable arm is made of a soft fabric filled with air and weighs less than 50 pounds, making it safe to use in orchards.
A new robotic design uses vine-like structures to lift and grasp a variety of objects, including humans, with a gentler approach. The robot can snake around obstacles, squeeze through tight spaces, and even secure itself in a closed loop to create a sling.
Researchers developed a novel bioelectronic material that transforms from a rigid film to a soft, tissue-like interface upon hydration, enabling seamless integration with living tissues. The device, called THIN, has been shown to record biological signals with high fidelity and stability in animal experiments.
Rothemund aims to harness phase transitions to improve controllability of soft robots, enabling tasks like grasping and crawling through tight spaces. The project seeks to develop new materials and a model robot arm for three-dimensional motion control.
MIT engineers developed artificial tendons made from hydrogel to connect lab-grown muscles with robotic skeletons. The tendons improved the robot's motion and force output by three times, enabling faster and more efficient biohybrid robots.
A swarm of miniature magnetic soft robots, inspired by fish schools, can coordinate their movements to deliver targeted drug therapy to diseased tissue. The robots can navigate through narrow passages and adapt their shape to conform to the lesion's boundaries for optimal drug delivery coverage.
Researchers at the University of Bristol developed a soft robotic exosuit that can reduce muscular fatigue and boost natural movements in astronauts. The technology also has potential applications for people with mobility issues on Earth.
Oxford researchers have developed soft robots that operate without electronics, motors, or computers, using only air pressure to generate complex, rhythmic movements. The robots can automatically synchronize their actions and perform tasks like sorting beads into containers without external control.
Researchers have developed a new method to create smaller soft robots using 'bubble magic' that can navigate and operate within the body's narrow orifices. The soft robots, powered by fluid, have mirror-smooth skin and are ten times slimmer than previous versions.
A team of researchers has developed a tiny, spider-inspired robot that can navigate the digestive system with ease, delivering therapy precisely where it's needed. The soft robot overcomes challenges faced by traditional endoscopes, showcasing its adaptability in traversing complex environments.
Researchers created microscopic DNA 'flowers' that can change shape and behavior in response to their surroundings. These tiny robots, made from special crystals formed by combining DNA and inorganic materials, can perform tasks on their own, from delivering medicine to cleaning up pollution.
Researchers at NC State University have developed origami robots that can navigate the body using magnetic 'muscles.' These robots can deliver medicine to ulcers without reducing surface area, enabling a safe and non-invasive procedure. The technique allows for controlled and steady drug release over time.
Researchers developed a method to trigger magnetic jamming in materials using wireless magnetic fields, enabling reversible and programmable clumping. This technique allows for the creation of structures that can assemble, stiffen, relax, or break apart under magnetic control.
Researchers develop novel dual-laser method to create adaptive, shape-locking devices. The material integrates a shape-memory polymer skeleton with magnetic microcapsules, allowing for 'writing' and 'bending' of instructions and shapes in situ.
Researchers developed a soft robotic skin that allows vine robots to navigate convoluted paths and fragile environments. The robot is steered by controlling the pressure inside its body and temperature of the actuators.
Researchers introduce HydroSpread, a new fabrication method for creating soft robots that can move and adapt on their own. The technology uses liquid polymer to create ultrathin, uniform sheets on water's surface, allowing for complex patterns and controlled movement.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed fidget-controlled robots that utilize metastability to create soft robotic systems. These robots use bistable domes to perform tasks such as grasping and classifying objects, demonstrating the potential for physical systems to replace electronic components in challenging environments.
Researchers at Max Planck Institute developed a magnetisation reprogramming method that allows real-time, in-situ generation and transformation of shapes in soft robots. This technology has potential applications in medicine, particularly in minimally invasive vascular treatments, by reducing friction and contact with vessel walls.
Aniket Pal's team creates viscoelastic polymers for soft robotics, which exhibit both elastic and viscous properties. These materials can be used to make soft robots more functional and intelligent.
A flexible skin-mounted haptic interface can replicate diverse motions using a single actuator, providing rich tactile feedback and versatility. The technology aims to assist humans in various applications, including wearable human-machine interfaces and medical operations.
Chung-Ang University researchers develop innovative soft robots using paper electrodes and liquid crystal elastomers, achieving directional crawling through asymmetric bending. The robots utilize temperature-responsive materials and simple electroless plating patterning, enabling efficient and cost-effective fabrication.
A wearable robot has been upgraded to provide personalized assistance to ALS and stroke patients. The device uses machine learning and a physics-based model to adapt to an individual user's movements, offering more nuanced help with daily tasks.
HIT researchers created multi-material, multi-responsive, multi-shape shape memory polymer (SMP) gradient metamaterials with tunable properties. These smart materials can adapt to different tasks without extra tools or infrastructure, enabling applications such as secure information storage and soft robotic systems.
Researchers developed an alginate-based microrobot that can be tracked using Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) and performs real-time localization, selective thermal therapy, and cell delivery. The robot is powered by a single magnetic actuation system independent of conventional medical imaging devices.
Researchers develop predictive framework that connects silicone curing conditions with adhesion strength, enabling dramatic improvements in performance for molded and 3D-printed elastomer components. The 'reaction coordinate' metric allows precise tracking of the degree of curing, even under variable thermal conditions.
A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that interacting with robots through social games makes them seem more human-like. The researchers used a box-shaped robot called Cozmo and found that participants who played games with it considered it more human-like, whereas those who interacted mechanically did not.
International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing (IJEM) achieves a new Impact Factor of 21.3, surpassing 20 for the first time and maintaining its position as top journal in the field. IJEM has attracted submissions from 853 institutions in 81 countries.
Scientists created a low-cost, durable, highly-sensitive robotic 'skin' that can detect various types of touch and pressure. The technology senses multiple physical inputs simultaneously, allowing robots to interact with their environment in a more human-like way.
The Rice University team created a soft robotic arm capable of performing complex tasks using smart materials, machine learning, and an optical control system. The arm is guided and powered remotely by laser beams without any onboard electronics or wiring.
Researchers at Harvard developed link-bots, centimeter-scale robots composed of V-shaped chains with notched links, capable of coordinated movements and emergent collective behavior. The team demonstrated link-bots' ability to move forward, stop, change direction, squeeze through gaps, and cooperate on tasks.
Researchers developed magnetically driven biohybrid blood hydrogel fibers that can deliver chemotherapy directly to brain tumors while evading the immune system. These fibers exhibit exceptional capability to navigate intricate environments and offer real-time tracking capabilities.
Scientists replace toxic additives in hydrogels with D-sorbitol, a safe sugar alternative found in chewing gum, to create bioelectronic devices that are soft, safe, and integrated with natural tissue. The new material has increased biocompatibility and improved electronic performance.
Researchers created a soft robotics technology that can identify damage, pinpoint its location, and autonomously initiate self-repair. The system uses a multi-layer architecture featuring liquid metal microdroplets, thermoplastic elastomer, and electromigration to melt and seal damaged areas, effectively self-healing the wound.
Scientists have created the first soft robots that can walk out of the machines that make them using a new 3D printing system. The flexible devices were developed to overcome challenges in manufacturing and design, making them suitable for various industries like nuclear decommissioning and space exploration.
Antonio Bicchi has been selected for the 2025 Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award for his groundbreaking contributions to robotics and prosthetics. He is recognized for developing innovative robotic limbs that match human hand capabilities, as well as natural prosthetic limbs.
The study, published in PNAS, discovered a new type of behavior called 'countersnapping' where structures shrink when pulled. This finding has exciting applications in soft robotics, vibration control systems, and wearable exosuits, enabling one-way sliding motion, materials that switch stiffness on demand, and structures that dampen e...
A robotic hand developed at EPFL can pick up 24 different objects with human-like movements that emerge spontaneously due to compliant materials and structures. The device uses 'self-organized' grasps that mimic natural human grips with a high success rate, making it suitable for highly unpredictable environments.
Researchers from SNU and Harvard develop link-bots that can transport, navigate, and cooperate without advanced programming. The system uses chain-like structures of simple particles to achieve complex tasks.
The robot leverages the Marangoni effect to propel itself forward, utilizing citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and propylene glycol as non-toxic and biodegradable components. The device can act as a source of nourishment for aquatic wildlife, promoting sustainability in environmental monitoring.
A soft robot can carry loads through the air along established tracks, navigating angles of up to 80 degrees and carrying loads up to 12 times its weight. The robot uses infrared light to move along the track, repeating a rolling motion that pulls it forward.
Researchers developed a self-adaptive core-shell dry adhesive with remarkable performance under non-parallel contact. The 'live core' adapts to macroscopic interfacial angle errors, enabling stress equalization and high adhesion strength.
Researchers at Princeton University developed a 'metabot' material that can expand, assume new shapes, move, and respond to electromagnetic commands. The metamaterial's complex behavior is enabled by chirality, allowing it to defy typical physical object rules.
Researchers at the University of Houston create ceramic materials with origami-inspired shapes and a soft polymer coating, allowing them to bend under pressure without breaking. The resulting structures have improved toughness and can be used in medical prosthetics, aerospace, and robotics.
A research paper proposes an earthworm-inspired soft robot with a novel wire-winding transmission mechanism, achieving multimodal motion and superior motion efficiency. The robot surpasses other robots of the same type in planar crawling speed by an order of magnitude.
The new robotic gripper, called GRIP-tape, uses a combination of softness and stiffness to grasp fragile fruits and vegetables with precision. With its ability to navigate obstacles and deposit objects into containers, the gripper has shown promising results in lifting large fruits like lemons.
The FLUID robot, developed by Hokkaido University researchers, automates the co-precipitation of cobalt and nickel to create binary materials with precision. The open-source system uses a 3D printer and off-the-shelf electronics, making it customizable and cost-effective for researchers worldwide.
A team of engineers has created a new hydrogel that rapidly switches between soft and hard states, making it ideal for real-time applications such as impact-resistant wearables or soft robots. The 'instant armor' hydrogel achieves this with a high-entropy design that allows rapid recovery in just 28 seconds.
Researchers developed a lighter, smarter magnetoreceptive e-skin that tracks signal paths for applications like virtual reality and robotic systems. The new technology emulates the functioning of real skin and saves energy by using a single global sensor surface and central processing unit.
The POSTECH research team developed a smartphone-type OLED panel that can transform its shape while functioning as a speaker, maintaining ultra-thin flexibility. The panel uses electrically driven piezoelectric polymer actuators to achieve complex forms without mechanical hinges or motors.
A team of experts identified key challenges in wearable multisensory haptic devices, including variability in skin contact mechanics and tactile masking. However, emerging actuation methods like polymeric, fluidic, and thermal actuation offer promising solutions to expand the scope of haptic feedback.