Robot caterpillar demonstrates new approach to locomotion for soft robotics
Researchers have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dip under narrow spaces. The caterpillar-bot’s movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the way the robot bends, allowing users to steer the robot in either direction.
Researchers have shown that pain experienced by patients during medical treatments can be considerably alleviated by holding and experiencing the motions of a soft furry robot. Based on measures of pain, fear, and biomarker collection, the researchers believe that the robot can improve patient experience.
Inspired by the biomechanics of the manta ray, researchers have developed an energy-efficient soft robot that can swim more than four times faster than previous swimming soft robots. The robots are called 'butterfly bots,' because their swimming motion resembles the way a person's arms move when they are swimming the…