soft robots

A team of scientists is creating robots based on the movement of ancient animals, including pleurocystitids, a sea creature from 500 million years ago. Richard Desatnik, a Carnegie Mellon University scientist, collaborated with European…

Soft inflatable robots are becoming more important for applications requiring safety and adaptability. Yet, integrating sensing and control systems in these robots is challenging without compromising their softness, form factor, or…

Implantable medical device technologies promise to unlock advanced therapeutic interventions in healthcare, such as insulin release to treat diabetes. Still, patients' reactions to foreign bodies are a significant issue holding back such…

A new ferroelectric polymer exceptionally good at converting electrical energy into mechanical strain holds promise as a high-performance motion controller or “actuator.”  According to researchers led by Penn State, potential applications…

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…