Composed of delicate, flexible, and lifelike materials, soft robots have the potential to improve on their clunky predecessors with metal bodies. Such machines could explore other planets with greater agility, gently collect life from the ocean depths, and even lend a hand to surgeons. , could not leave the laboratory and enter our lives. Now a new generation of soft robots are navigating, growing and self-repairing to meet the high expectations of researchers.
Squishy materials allow robots to deform and adapt to environmental changes, such as narrowing tunnels. Soft robots can also handle fragile materials such as human organs and fragile rocks without crushing them. Even most rigid robots, such as the famous agile walkers from Boston Dynamics, incorporate soft parts to improve movement. Many developments in soft robotics are inspired by biological properties, such as the flexibility of octopuses and the high water content of jellyfish. And the new design calls for something less tangible: animal-like independence.
said Daniela Rus, a roboticist and computer scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “We have made advances in soft-body components and algorithmic control…and now we are taking advantage of these advances to create increasingly capable, self-contained, autonomous soft robots.”
Soft robots are more susceptible to cuts and punctures than rigid machines when exploring hazardous areas independently.A group of researchers inspired by the self-healing properties of human skin recently created an experimental robot that can bounce back from minor injuries. scientific progress.
“If we could have a drazor and have a robot that could work for years while doing dexterous tasks, it would open up a lot of opportunities for us,” said study co-author Robert Shepherd, an engineer at Cornell University. “One clear example is space exploration, perhaps even building research habitats on the Moon or surveying the oceans of Europa. These remotely operated environments will Robots can accumulate damage and no one is around to fix them.”
Shepard and his team designed a soft robot that not only heals damage, but doesn’t need to be told when to heal. The robot can detect when the material is punctured using a fiber optic sensor. It then uses a super-elastic material called polyurethane urea elastomer to heal the wound quickly. Also, the robot is programmed to move in another direction after being damaged. Later work may extend these repairs to large missing chunks or holes.
Another team created soft robots that “grow” like plants and fungi, for research published last year. Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesGrowing robots may go underground or lay new infrastructure on other planets. But for soft robots to grow, they typically need to drag material back and use it to 3D print new structures. This could interfere with the robot’s work in the same way humans lug around garden hoses, said study co-author Chris Ellison, an engineer and materials scientist at the University of Minnesota. increase. “When you drag a garden hose and turn corners around trees, it puts more force on the hose,” he says. And it keeps increasing exponentially with every turn.
Researchers turned to plants as a solution. “They don’t grow roots by dragging more roots,” Ellison says. “They transport liquids and transform those liquids into solids. That’s what ultimately builds structures.” His team’s new robot uses light to solidify liquids and create tiny Spit the liquid out of the hole to form a tube. This tube extends from the launch point to wherever you need it. The robot can control the shape of the tube as it grows, allowing it to navigate complex paths without encountering garden hose problems. One day, he adds, robots may be able to use the technology to smoothly inspect underground pipes or pass through human bodies for medical applications.
Engineers have also made great strides in improving the sensing and motion capabilities of soft robots, which aids deployment in remote environments. For example, Rus’ group recently built a robot with a network of air-filled channels throughout its body. Similar to human proprioception, pressure changes within these channels can be measured to determine where body parts are in space. Other groups have experimented with different types of sensors, artificial muscles and machine learning to create smoother movements and more accurate perceptions.
Building soft robots that can work, heal and grow independently could change many areas of human life. “Soft robotic hands enable a new era in manufacturing,” he says Rus. Robert Katzschmann, a roboticist at ETH Zurich, ETH Zurich, was not involved in the study, but said that if a dexterous robot had human-like hands, it could be a factory. said that it could fit more easily into the environment of
Soft robots may also play an active role in hospitals. Working with nurses and doctors, the robot can hold organs softly and safely during surgery. “With his hand helping, the drug might cost a little less,” he says Katzschmann. Just one or two is enough. Ellison’s team says the robot could one day grow through tissues, search for cancerous tumors, and replace risky surgery entirely.
“I think soft robots are the path to endurance and agility never before seen in artificial machines,” says Shepard. With improved sensing and motion skills, robust configurations, and newfound independence, the future looks solid for these squeeze-he machines.
