Soft-bodied robot owes its moves to starfish and squid

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Thursday, 01 December 2011 15:15

More and more, it’s looking like many of the robots in the not-too-distant future won’t be hard, humanoid C-3PO-like affairs, but will instead be squishy, soft-bodied devices. Not only would such robots be better able to withstand mechanical shock, vibration and compression, but they would also be able to do things like squeezing through small spaces – an ability which come in very handy in settings like disaster sites or battlefields. Previous experiments with soft-bodied robots have included Tufts University’s GoQBot, which was clearly inspired by caterpillars. More recently, scientists from Harvard University demonstrated a squishy creation of their own, which could probably best be likened to a robotic starfish ... although it was apparently also inspired by squids... Continue Reading Soft-bodied robot owes its moves to starfish and squidSection: RoboticsTags: Biomimicry, Harvard, Robots Related Articles: Caterpillars and the next generation of rolling robots Caterpillars' gut-sliding locomotion inspires soft-bodied robot development Soft, submersible memory device created Tiny Kilobots to go on sale Bacarobo showcases stupid robots Tiny $14 Kilobots work by swarming together