soft robots

Stimuli-responsive polymers, materials capable of altering their chemical and/or physical properties in response to external stimuli, have changed the game in robotics. Substances like dielectric elastomers, hydrogels (spider warning),…

Untethered soft robots mechanically adapt to their surroundings and tasks and are becoming more agile and controlled. Cornell University researchers led by Kirstin Petersen, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering,…

Researchers at Aalto University developed a new material that changes its electrical behavior based on previous experience—gaining a form of adaptive memory. Scientists could use these materials in next-gen medical and environmental…

The stretchiness of films and gels enables wearables, soft robotics, and biocompatible tissue. These materials, however, can break them without warning. Researchers from the American Chemical Society have designed a compound with "wings"…

A low-cost, biodegradable, 3-D printed, self-healing jelly may be changing the face of soft robotics. The material can detect damage and initiate healing, all without human intervention. It can do so at room temperature rather than…

The advantages of soft robots are myriad. The ability to pick up delicate objects, adjust to their environment, and work with both living cells and human bodies means soft robots are a new frontier in robotics. Recently, engineers at…

Squid, one of the most successful ocean predators, are cephalopods that identify their prey by sight, confuse them by squirting ink at them, and move by rapid jet propulsion. Taking squid locomotion as their inspiration, engineers at the…

Soft robots, with major commercial applications as robotic muscles, climbing robots, “edible” drug delivery robots, wearables and prosthetics, have only been around for the last decade or so. Designing robots that can replicate the same…

As robotics engineering research speeds up to meet demand for robotic solutions, researchers look more and to the natural world for inspiration when designing robots with the qualities required to perform specific tasks more quickly,…

With their increased flexibility and adaptability for accomplishing tasks, soft robots offer the promise of improved safety when working around humans. Optimizing soft robots to perform specific tasks is, however, a huge computational…