Collaborate Disseminate
Ordinarily, if you want to build a device that’s highly electrically conductive, you have to use rigid metals. Now, however, scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have created a soft and flexible material that fits the bill.Continue ReadingCategory:… Continue reading Conductive hydrogel could find use in soft robotics and more
[James Bruton]’s impressive portfolio of robots has always used conventional rigid components, so he decided to take a bit of a detour and try his hand at a soft robot. Using a couple of few inflatable pool noodles for quick …read more
Continue reading Pool Noodle Robot Shines A Light On The Pros and Cons Of Soft Robots
Things can get very chaotic on the ocean floor, making it difficult for underwater robots to keep from being swept away. New research, however, suggests that by copying the structure of the starfish, they could actually be pressed into place.Continue R… Continue reading A starfish-shaped body could help underwater robots stay put
Although soft robotic graspers may be squishy on the outside, they usually still have hard, unyielding electronic components on the inside. A new and potentially more versatile bio-inspired grasping system, however, is 100 percent soft.Continue Reading… Continue reading Soft robotic grasper channels the spirit of the Venus flytrap
Soft-bodied robots move via pneumatic “muscles” that are selectively inflated or deflated. And while the muscles themselves may be soft and squishy, they’re usually hooked up to hard, unwieldy pumps. A new pump, however, is both small and flexible.Cont… Continue reading Thin, flexible pump could make soft robots even softer
Soft robots are gaining a lot of attention in research circles, largely due to the safety benefits for humans who might need to work in their vicinity. Soft robots are gaining a lot of attention in research circles, and from an engineering lab at the U… Continue reading Air-powered robot needs no electronics to walk like a turtle
There are currently a number of groups developing touch-sensitive electronic skin for robots. Scientists at Cornell University are pursuing a simpler approach, however, using shadow-imaging cameras to let robots know when they’re being touched.Continue… Continue reading ShadowSense tech tracks shadows to give robots a sense of touch
Inspired by the way plants like Venus flytraps can snap closed and reset themselves, scientists have developed new materials that alter their shape in the blink of the eye as a way of propelling themselves forward, powered only by their own energy and … Continue reading US Army-funded research results in self-propelled materials
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a new soft robot that can walk at roughly the speed of a human, activated by light and magnetic fields. The robot can squeeze into tight spaces and pick up, carry and release objects on demand.Conti… Continue reading Soft aquatic robot activated by light and magnets to quickly crawl
Chameleon tongues, gecko feet and octopus tentacles are just a few of the animal body parts we’ve seen inspire soft robotic grippers, but nature still has plenty to offer researchers in this field. A team in Australia is the latest to tap into the worl… Continue reading Coiling robotic gripper grasps objects like an elephant’s trunk