How many robots does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Thanks to engineers at Northeastern University, the answer may now be just one.
A team led by Jeffrey Lipton, an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, has built a new type of robot arm that combines the best parts of two different robot designs: hard and soft robots.
This breakthrough makes it possible for the robot to gently hold and twist something as delicate as a lightbulb—without dropping or breaking it.
Lipton explains that there are usually two types of robots. Hard, or rigid, robots are strong and fast. They’re often used in factories to build cars or other heavy machinery. But they can be dangerous to people if they move too fast or hit something.
These robots are powerful and great at spinning or applying torque (the force needed to twist something).
Soft robots, on the other hand, are inspired by nature—like the movement of elephant trunks or octopus tentacles. They’re flexible and safe to use around humans, but not very strong when it comes to twisting or lifting heavy things.
Until now, no robot could do both well. That’s where Lipton’s team comes in.
In their new study published in Science Robotics, the researchers created a hybrid robot that’s both flexible and strong.
It’s made from a brand-new material that behaves like the constant-velocity (CV) joints in your car, which help the wheels move up and down while still spinning. But instead of using hard metal parts, the team made their version soft and bendable.
This unique material lets the robot arm bend, stretch, and twist—all while being gentle enough to handle fragile objects like a lightbulb and strong enough to screw it in tightly.
What makes this new robot special is how it’s designed. Most soft robots are made by changing the materials’ chemistry, but Lipton’s team used clever shapes and patterns to create flexibility and strength in one piece.
The result is a robot arm called TRUNC that can reach, twist, and handle objects in tight spaces—just like a human. So now, we finally have a robot that can screw in a lightbulb all by itself, combining safety, precision, and power.
Source: Northeastern University.
