The default image of a robot is metal members attached to motors using nuts and bolts. A team from Harvard University, lead by George Whitesides, have created a robot contrary to the status-quo thought, a soft robot. Their creation has no stiff internal or external skeleton. Instead, it is made out of soft elastomeric polymers that, more or less, give it the physical characteristics of a worm.
Whitesides admits the design was inspired by squids, starfish and worms, which do not have a hard internal skeleton. The robot has four leg-like sections that connect at a central torso. It achieves mobility by filling individual internal hollow compartments with air. This pneumatic robot uses no sensors at all. Instead, five actuators control simple pneumatic valves that fill the quadrupedal robot with air in strategic places and allow it to slither around using a variety of gaits.
Using pressures lower than 10 psi, the team can maneuver the robot in and out of tight places. As a plus, it can be abandoned wherever since it does not have any costly parts. This makes it an excellent robot for search and rescue missions in the aftermath of natural disasters or other emergencies.
Whitesides speaking about the future of the tech, "It's going to be very straightforward to make bigger ones that have an on-board gas source." Currently the robot is tethered to the controls by hoses that deliver the air, but the Harvard team is confident this squid-like robot can eventually be fitted with its own compressed air supply. Read more about the bot in the team's paper featured at Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Whitesides previous version of the technology came out as a "starfish like" claw back in February of 2011. A robotic claw soft enough to pick up and egg. The complexity has increased substantially now with the squid like bot. I am looking forward to the next iteration.
"The squid is our hero, squids do incredible things." - George Whitesides.
Eavesdropper
This is not the only inflatable robot on the scene.
Take a look at the human carrying inflatable robots from Otherlab.
