Lego-like smart material lets robots change stiffness like living tissue
Robots are usually built from materials with fixed properties.
Once a robot is assembled, its stiffness, flexibility and movement patterns are largely locked in.
Engineers at...
These shape-shifting materials could bring soft robots to life
Engineers at McGill University have developed a new class of ultra-thin, shape-shifting materials that can move, fold, and reconfigure themselves—much like animated origami.
The breakthrough...
Grasshopper wings spark a new way for robots to glide
Sometimes scientific breakthroughs begin in unlikely places. For a team of engineers and entomologists from Princeton University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, it started...
This shape-shifting wheel could help robots explore the moon’s hidden caves
Exploring the Moon’s surface is challenging enough, but reaching what lies beneath it is even harder.
Deep pits and long lava tubes on the Moon...
Why the next generation of robots will have tendons instead of motors
At the Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich, the scene looks less like a traditional engineering workshop and more like a child’s playroom mixed...
This robotic dog can remember every step—and it could save lives
Imagine a robotic dog that can see its surroundings, remember where it has been, understand spoken instructions, and make smart decisions in real time.
That...
Vine-inspired robot gently lifts people and fragile objects with a soft, twisting grip
Some vines in nature are strong enough to wrap around fences and even pull down trees.
Their ability to twist, cling and support weight has...
New insect-like microrobot can fly as fast and agile as a bumblebee
Tiny flying robots may soon help rescue people trapped after earthquakes or explore dangerous, hard-to-reach places.
But until now, these microrobots were slow, fragile, and...
MIT engineers build powerful robots using real muscle and fake tendons
Scientists have been working for years to create robots powered by living muscle tissue.
These biohybrid robots combine lab-grown muscles with synthetic skeletons, giving them...
Magnetic fields help soft robots move smarter and last longer
Soft robots—machines made from flexible, squishy materials—are designed to move gently and adapt to tight or delicate spaces.
They can glide through water, squeeze into...