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A team of Harvard University researchers with expertise in 3-D printing, mechanical engineering, and microfluidics has demonstrated the first autonomous, untethered, entirely soft robot. This small, 3-D-printed robot -- nicknamed the octobot -- could pave the way for a new generation of completely soft, autonomous machines.
Soft robotics could revolutionize how humans interact with machines. But researchers have struggled to build entirely compliant robots. Electric power and control systems -- such as batteries and circuit boards -- are rigid and until now, soft-bodied robots have been either tethered to an off-board system or rigged with hard components.Image credit: Lori Sanders, Ryan Truby, Michael Wehner, Robert Wood and Jennifer Lewis/Harvard University
