(Nanowerk News) Sea cucumbers have a bumpy and oblong shape. They are soft but stiffen up quickly when touched. They can shrink or stretch to several meters, and their original shape can be recovered ...

Remember those toys that sprang up into the air after you pushed them down? They're called poppers, and they've inspired an actuator that could one day allow soft-bodied robots to jump across rough ...

(Nanowerk News) In an age where robotics are seamlessly integrating into daily life, a team of researchers at Zhejiang University, China, has achieved a remarkable breakthrough. Their latest creation, ...

Inexpensive robots of all forms are on the rise. Meka uses compliant actuators called series elastic actuators (SEAs) in nearly all joints of its robotic systems. A spring between motor and load ...

Although soft-bodied robots show great promise for tasks such as squeezing through tight spaces, it's a bit counterproductive if their soft appendages are moved by hard actuators. A new technology ...

Soft robotics and actuator systems represent a transformative approach to machine design by replacing rigid components with compliant, deformable materials. This paradigm shift draws inspiration from ...

Most animals can quickly transition from walking to jumping to crawling to swimming if needed without reconfiguring or making major adjustments. Most robots cannot. But researchers have now created ...

Scientists from Zhe jiang University latest creation, a wrist-inspired soft actuator capable of bidirectional torsion, promises to transform the landscape of soft robotics. In an era where robotics ...

Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a ...

Repeated activity wears on soft robotic actuators, but these machine's moving parts need to be reliable and easily fixed. Now a team of researchers has a biosynthetic polymer, patterned after squid ...

The MIT CSAIL team calls them “banana fingers,” and I can’t really disagree. They’re oblong and bright yellow, but as visually arresting as they are at first glance, they do serve a function. The ...