Collaborate Disseminate
Italian researchers have created a novel 4D-printed biodegradable soft robot shaped like a seed that changes shape in response to changes in humidity and can navigate through the soil. The device has great potential as a new way of monitoring the envir… Continue reading First 4D-printed, shape-changing ‘seed robot’ to monitor the environment
One of the challenges of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery lies in getting surgical instruments into the patient’s body via a narrow catheter. Scientists have set about addressing that problem, with magnetic instruments that pop into and out of s… Continue reading Minimally-invasive surgical tools pop into shape inside the body
If you’re making a small robot that can explore tight spaces, it would be good if that device could also shimmy its way through narrow gaps. An experimental new robot can do just that, by emulating a caterpillar.Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, Tech… Continue reading Soft-bodied robot copies a caterpillar to squeeze through gaps
In order to reach their full potential, soft robotic devices can’t just consist of rigid electronic components encased in squishy rubber. A new material could help in that regard, as it’s soft, self-healing and electrically conductive.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading Self-healing conductive gel could make “soft robots” truly soft
Earthworms move through the soil not just by wriggling around, but by sending peristaltic waves down their bodies. A new bio-inspired robot, which employs that same strategy, could one day be used in underground exploration or even search-and-rescue mi… Continue reading Earthworm-inspired robot moves by doing the wave
The potential for 3D bioprinting has been further expanded thanks to the work of engineers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), who have developed a soft robotic arm that can print directly onto organs and tissues inside the human body.Contin… Continue reading Novel robotic system can 3D print cells onto organs inside the body
While the field of stretchable electronics does hold a lot of promise, joining the components of such devices together can be tricky. A new connector is designed to help, as it stretches between the components, plus it links them to one another in a ma… Continue reading BIND connector keeps the “stretch” in stretchable electronic devices
If you’re designing robots for the exploration of oceans on other planets, you want something that’s tough, versatile and easy to store in a spacecraft. It turns out that soft-bodied robots inspired by a marine organism may be the perfect choice.Contin… Continue reading Sea-creature-inspired linked robots could explore alien oceans
Bioinspired underwater robots that swim by undulating their bodies may be more energy-efficient than their rigid counterparts, but they’re also quite difficult to build. That could soon change however, thanks to a new modular robotics system.Continue R… Continue reading Modular voxel tech could bring swimming robots into the mainstream
People suffering from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) often have difficulty raising their arms, due to deterioration of cells in their brain and spinal cord. A new wearable system is designed to help, utilizing a pair of under-arm balloons.Continue… Continue reading Soft-robotic wearable helps people with ALS to raise their arms