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Traditional industrial robots are rigid, mostly metal, and are fast, precise and powerful. Their speed and precision comes at the cost of complexity and can often pose a danger to humans who get too close. Soft robots are adaptable and resilient but slow, difficult to fabricate, and challenging to make autonomous because most motors, pumps, batteries, sensors and microcontrollers are rigid.
Engineers have combined the autonomy and speed of a rigid robot with the adaptability and resiliency of a soft robot, and in a fast and cost-effective way. This new robot’s body transitions from soft to hard, reducing the stress where the rigid electronic components join the body and increasing the robot’s resiliency. The body’s monolithic design — created in one continuous print job using several different materials — increases its strength and robustness. With no sliding parts or traditional joints, the robot isn’t victim to dirt or debris like its more intricate cousins, making it a good candidate for use in harsh terrains.Image credit: Harvard Microrobotics Lab
