Soft Robotics

Back in 2012, we heard about tiny biped "biobot" robots that used actual muscle tissue to walk. Well, the descendants of those bots are now equipped with LEDs, which allow them to be remotely steered in a practical fashion.

In a serendipitous discovery, engineers have developed a material that first deforms and then shoots into the air when it is heated. The researchers say the material could one day be used to help soft robots jump or lift objects.

It's a sad fact that people with conditions such as muscular dystrophy and ALS often have difficulty breathing, as their diaphragm muscle doesn't work properly. MIT scientists have set out to give that muscle a boost, with an implantable ventilator.

In order for a soft-bodied robot to be practical, it has to be simple, light and energy-efficient, yet still reasonably quick. A newly developed mechanism fits the bill, and it's inspired by the humble hair clip.

Plastic ketchup bottles have a valve in the lid that opens to let ketchup out, and that "sputters" if the bottle is squeezed too hard. Scientists have copied that mechanism to create an actuator that could be used in autonomous soft robotic devices.

Scientists regularly draw ideas from the natural world in a bid to improve robotic performance, and the latest creation in this space is a soft robot that mimics butterfly stroke in humans to move through the water with unparalleled speed.

If you were trying to gauge the reaction force of an insect's leg, you couldn't just push it with your finger – the size difference between the two would be too great. A set of hand-controlled soft robotic microfingers, however, can get the job done.

The flexible "fingers" at the tip of an elephant's trunk have provided the inspiration for a robotic gripper capable of picking up and holding onto a variety of objects both large and small – from a thin acupuncture needle to a large packaging box.

Folks with a soft touch seem to have no problem getting to grips with delicate objects, but it can be a tough ask for robots. Researchers have taken a strength-in-numbers approach with a gripper that curls multiple tubes around a fragile object.

Scientists have come up with a novel cleanup solution for microplastic pollution that takes its cues from nature, in the form of a fish-like robot that can move through the water and soak up small plastic fragments as it goes.

A thin new robot developed at the University of Leeds designed to diagnose and treat cancer takes the shape of a tentacle, which can be magnetically guided into the depths of the lungs to inspect suspicious lesions or deliver drugs.

Researchers at Harvard and Emory have created a biohybrid fish out of human heart cells that swims autonomously for months at a time as the cells beat. The project is a sidestep on the way to eventually growing new functional hearts for transplant.