the new actuator can be shaped and reshaped a thousand ways. We've overcome one of the final barriers to making lifelike robots." Inspired by living organisms, soft material robotics hold great ...

Although soft-bodied robots show great promise ... appendages are moved by hard actuators. A new technology addresses that problem, via the use of "fancy balloons." The process begins with a ...

These innovative robots, designed by a ... three-dimensional printed pneumatic balloons. This combination significantly reduces the weight of soft actuators, enabling untethered operations.

Robots with soft actuators that cannot harm humans, on the other hand ... The new device consists of a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA): a membrane made of hyperelastic material like a latex ...

While there are robots out there with soft actuators that offer some give when ... This is a membrane that looks like a latex balloon, with flexible electrodes attached to either side.

That means the researchers can reuse balloons, modifying them to move in different ways on the fly. Soft robots, though, still come with serious limitations. For one, these kinds of actuators have ...

Because of their ability to manipulate delicate objects and cope well with unexpected environments so-called soft robots are becoming increasingly widely ... of the National Academy of Sciences ...

Using multiple tubular actuators, we build a multifunctional soft gripper and an untethered soft robot.

3D-printed mini-actuators can move small soft robots, lock them into new shapes Date: June 11, 2024 Source: North Carolina State University Summary: Researchers have demonstrated miniature soft ...