Bioinspired soft robotics investigates compliant robotic systems that emulate the mechanics, morphology, and control strategies of animals and other biological organisms. The field develops artificial muscles, soft actuators, and mechanical metamaterials using polymers, hydrogels, liquid crystal elastomers, and textile or origami-based structures to achieve muscle-like motion, shape morphing, and adaptive stiffness. It spans scales from sub-millimeter microrobots to larger soft-bodied platforms, integrating sensing, flexible electronics, and biohybrid components for autonomous locomotion, manipulation, and interaction in complex environments, particularly in aquatic and terrestrial settings.
Electronics & Semiconductors
An artificial neuron made of conductive plastics that can perform advanced functions similar to those of biological nerve cells has been demonstrated by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden. The results, published ...
Sep 17, 2025
0
33
Robotics
Marine litter is a major environmental problem around the world. As part of the EU project SEACLEAR, a research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now developed an autonomous diving robot that can detect ...
Sep 17, 2025
0
40
Robotics
The body movements performed by humans and other animals are known to be supported by several intricate biological and neural mechanisms. While roboticists have been trying to develop systems that emulate these mechanisms ...
Engineering
Think twice about eliminating those pesky ants at your next family picnic. Their behavior may hold the key to reinventing how engineering materials, traffic control and multi-agent robots are made and utilized, thanks to ...
Sep 15, 2025
0
43
Robotics
Until now, when scientists created magnetic robots, their magnetization profiles were generally fixed, enabling only a specific type of shape programming capability using applied external magnetic fields. Researchers at the ...
Sep 15, 2025
0
35
Robotics
Birds flock in order to forage and move more efficiently. Fish school to avoid predators. And bees swarm to reproduce. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have sought to mimic these natural behaviors as a way to potentially ...
Sep 9, 2025
0
46
Robotics
A team of scientists from China and the U.S. is pioneering the development of bubble-powered robots, which could one day replace needles for painless drug delivery into the body. Inspired by nature, the researchers developed ...
Engineering
Princeton engineers are twisting, stretching and creasing structures to create a new type of origami, one that changes its shape and properties in response to changing circumstances. The new method could be useful for prosthetics, ...
Sep 6, 2025
0
103
Engineering
University of Iowa researchers have reported a key advance in the ease of flow and maneuverability for underwater vehicles.
Sep 4, 2025
0
37
Robotics
Everyday occurrences like snapping hair clips or clicking retractable pens feature a mechanical phenomenon known as "snap-through." Small insects and plants like the Venus flytrap cleverly use this snap-through effect to ...
Sep 1, 2025
0
57
