Collaborate Disseminate
It’s possible that someday in the future, sunlight-powered robots may be able to swim across marine oil spills, soaking up the oil as they go. A tiny functioning prototype has already been created, and it was inspired by both the steam engine and an in… Continue reading Water-strider-inspired robot may one day clean up oil spills
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new type of soft material with an ability to endure monumental forces. Described as “super jelly,” the novel hydrogel uses a unique internal structure likened to molecular handcuffs to respond … Continue reading “Super jelly” becomes like shatterproof glass when run over by a car
Although soft-bodied robots show great promise for tasks such as squeezing through tight spaces, it’s a bit counterproductive if their soft appendages are moved by hard actuators. A new technology addresses that problem, via the use of “fancy balloons…. Continue reading “Bubble casting” tech used to create soft actuators for soft robots
A new battery design out of Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials promises to open up some interesting possibilities in energy storage, by bending and stretching like a snake. This ability to mimic the behavior of the creature’s individual scales … Continue reading Scale-inspired battery stretches and bends like a snake
Scientists pushing the frontiers of soft robotics continue to find inspiration in the animal kingdom, with the latest examples that move like inchworms and earthworms deploying some novel sensor technology. The stretchy new robots make use of flexible … Continue reading Worm-inspired robot “senses” its body position to inch its way forward
When leaping geckos crash head-first into vertical surfaces such as tree trunks, they’re able to hang onto that surface instead of bouncing off and falling to the ground. Scientists have discovered what allows them to do so, and copied the capability i… Continue reading New understanding of gecko landing process may lead to nimbler robots
In a year of semiconductor shortages it’s a difficult task to deliver an electronic conference badge, so this year’s BornHack camp in Denmark had an SAO prototyping board as its …read more Continue reading The BornHack Badge Gets A Bubble
Hackaday Prize 2021 entry FlowIO Platform promises to be to pneumatics what Arduino is to Electronics. The modular platform comprises a common controller/valve block, a selection of differently sized pumps, …read more Continue reading Get Your Flex On With The FlowIO Platform
Robotic hands do show a lot of promise for various applications, but their mechanical complexity still limits their possible uses. A new air-powered hand is much simpler, but still dextrous enough to be utilized to play a video game.Continue ReadingCat… Continue reading Air-powered soft robotic hand used to play Super Mario Bros
Although they’re malleable and adaptable, soft robots and flexible electronics also aren’t as protected as their rigid-shelled counterparts, so they’re more likely to get ripped or punctured. A new stretchable, self-healing conductive material was desi… Continue reading Self-healing electronic material withstands stretching and jabbing