soft robotics

MIT researchers have built a paper-thin swimming robot that moves using living muscle cells rather than motors. The soft robotic swimmer can navigate through watery mazes, demonstrating precise control of biohydraulic movement in a device thin enough to be flexible like paper. The work highlights growing progress in biohybrid robotics, where engineered living tissue is combined with synthetic materials to create machines that move in ways conventional robots cannot.

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have developed a soft robotic exosuit that assists older adults with standing up and walking. In a study, 10 participants completed sit-to-stand movements faster while wearing the suit, which supports the body with fabric-based actuators rather than a rigid frame. The work points to assistive robotics that could help seniors stay mobile and independent in daily life.

Researchers have developed a wind-up elastic robot that can keep jumping continuously when supplied with infrared light. The material converts the light into heat, re-tensioning its elastic body so the hopping cycle repeats without batteries or manual rewinding. The demonstration is drawing attention as a possible route to small, untethered soft robots for exploration or search tasks.

Fast Company reports that ETH Zurich's Soft Robotics Lab has developed a robotic hand inspired by Thing, the disembodied hand character from 'The Addams Family'. The project uses soft robotics to build a more flexible, lifelike gripper, and is being discussed as an example of how playful pop-culture references can drive serious innovation in robotic design.

Researchers have developed a paper-thin swimming robot driven by living muscle cells, capable of navigating through a watery maze. The biohybrid design uses the cells' natural contractions for propulsion rather than motors, a step forward for soft robotics with potential uses in medicine, such as targeted drug delivery inside the body. Coverage highlights the robot's ability to steer through complex liquid environments.

Researchers at KAIST in South Korea have developed a new material for robotic hands inspired by the Venus flytrap, which can sense objects and grasp them when stimulated by light. The biomimetic design is being reported by science news outlets, drawing attention for combining sensing and actuation in a single soft material that responds without complex electronics.