Imagine printing a robot—and watching it walk away as soon as it’s finished. That’s exactly what scientists at the University of Edinburgh have done.
They’ve created the world’s first soft robots that can walk straight out of a 3D printer, with no need for electronics or complex assembly.
These robots are made entirely of soft plastic and powered by air.
Once they’re printed, all you need to do is attach a compressed air supply, and the small, palm-sized robot comes to life. The team developed a new 3D printing system called the Flex Printer, which makes the entire process simple and affordable.
The system costs less than £400 to build and can be put together using easy-to-find parts.
What makes this project special is how accessible it is. Unlike many robotic systems that require deep technical knowledge and expensive equipment, the Flex Printer was designed for beginners.
According to the researchers, even someone with no prior experience could build the printer and start creating soft robots in just a few days.
Soft robots—machines made from flexible materials instead of hard metal or plastic—have a lot of potential in areas where traditional robots can’t go.
They could be used in medical settings, to help dismantle dangerous nuclear equipment, or even in space. But until now, they’ve been expensive and complicated to make.
That’s where the Flex Printer comes in. By lowering the cost and making the process easier, the team hopes to remove the roadblocks that have slowed down the development of soft robotics. They’ve also made their designs and instructions available to the public so more people can try it out, improve on it, and find new uses for the technology.
The project was led by Maks Gepner and Jonah Mack, two PhD students at the University of Edinburgh, with guidance from Professor Adam A. Stokes, who leads the university’s Institute for Bioengineering. Gepner says what once took years to learn can now be done in a matter of days.
He believes this new platform will help drive the next big wave of discoveries in soft robotics.
With this kind of technology now within reach for more people, we may soon see soft robots walking out of 3D printers around the world—ready to take on tasks once thought impossible.
