soft robots

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…

An arm uses bacteria to taste? Yes, it's sort of what it sounds like. Researchers from the University of California, Davis and Carnegie Mellon University developed an engineered bacteria that allows a robotic gripping arm to "taste"…