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.
Robotics
Researchers at EPFL's Neuroengineering Laboratory, led by Pavan Ramdya, aim to replicate the workings of the brain of the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. EPFL spoke with Ramdya about the exciting prospects for ...
Apr 4, 2025
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Robotics
Growing up in Spain, Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira was captivated by the elegant movements of aquatic life during frequent vacations to the Atlantic coast. Later, as a doctoral student at the California Institute of Technology, ...
Apr 1, 2025
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Robotics
Like a bumblebee flitting from flower to flower, a new insect-inspired flying robot created by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, can hover, change trajectory and even hit small targets. Less than 1 centimeter ...
Mar 31, 2025
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Robotics
Many of the robotic systems developed in the past decades are inspired by four-legged (i.e., quadruped) animals, such as dogs, cheetahs and horses. By replicating the agile movements of these animals, quadruped robots could ...
Hardware
A smaller, lighter and more energy-efficient computer, demonstrated at the University of Michigan, could help save weight and power for autonomous drones and rovers, with implications for autonomous vehicles more broadly.
Mar 27, 2025
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Robotics
Scientists from TU Delft and EPFL have created a quadruped robot capable of running like a dog without the need for motors. This achievement, a product of combining innovative mechanics with data-driven technology, was published ...
Mar 27, 2025
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Robotics
Over the past decades, roboticists have introduced a wide range of systems that can move in various complex environments, including different terrains, on the ground, in the air, and even in water. To safely navigate real-world ...
Robotics
Imagine a robot that can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D-printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material.
Mar 25, 2025
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Robotics
How many robots does it take to screw in a lightbulb? The answer is more complicated than you might think. New research from Northeastern University upends the riddle by making a robot that is both flexible and sensitive ...
Mar 24, 2025
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Robotics
A joint research team has successfully developed a next-generation soft robot based on liquid. The research was published in Science Advances.
Mar 24, 2025
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