Soft robots harvest ambient heat for self-sustained motion
A warm hand is enough to drive motion in tiny Salmonella-inspired robots that harness molecular-level dynamic bonding.
Robotics
Robotics
Soft robot powered by edible pneumatic battery and actuator
Using common kitchen ingredients such as citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, scientists have created an edible pneumatic battery and valve system to power soft robots.
Robotics
Novel smart fabrics give robots a delicate grip
Robots aren't always the most delicate of machines when handling fragile objects. They don't have the lightness of touch of humans. But that could be about to change thanks to a new development in smart materials.
Robotics
3D-printed microrobots adapt to diverse environments with modular design
Microrobots, small robotic systems that are less than 1 centimeter (cm) in size, could tackle some real-world tasks that cannot be completed by bigger robots. For instance, they could be used to monitor confined spaces and ...
Robotics
Novel film manufacturing technique lets robots walk on water
Imagine tiny robots zipping across the surface of a lake to check water quality or searching for people in flooded areas. This technology is moving closer to reality thanks to work by researchers at the University of Virginia's ...
Robotics
Scientists harness the power of collapsing bubbles to propel tiny robots
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 ...
Robotics
Smart microrobots learn to communicate and collaborate in water
In a major step toward intelligent and collaborative microrobotic systems, researchers at the Research Center for Materials, Architectures and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN) at Chemnitz University of Technology have ...
Aug 22, 2025
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Robotics
Knitted textile metasurfaces allow soft robots to morph and camouflage on demand
Nature, particularly humans and other animals, has always been among the primary sources of inspiration for roboticists. In fact, most existing robots physically resemble specific animals and/or are engineered to tackle tasks ...
Robotics
Going places: Muscle-inspired mechanism powers tiny autonomous insect robots
Science frequently draws inspiration from the natural world. After all, nature has had billions of years to perfect its systems and processes. Taking their cue from mollusk catch muscles, researchers have developed a low-voltage, ...
Robotics
Deep-learning system teaches soft, bio-inspired robots to move using only a single camera
Conventional robots, like those used in industry and hazardous environments, are easy to model and control, but are too rigid to operate in confined spaces and uneven terrain. Soft, bio-inspired robots are far better at adapting ...
