Robots that move, lift, and sense objects without electronics are now possible. They work using materials that snap and bend ...

Scientists have developed HydroSpread, a novel technique for building soft robots on water, with wide-ranging possibilities ...

Could the future of rescue missions and exploration lie in the hands—or rather, the flexible movements—of a swarm of ...

Picture a robot controlled by micromotors so small and light that it suspends itself over water like a bug. With engineers at ...

Imagine tiny robots zipping across the surface of a lake to check water quality or searching for people in flooded areas.

Seeing robots made with soft, flexible parts in action appears to lower people's anxiety about working with them or even being replaced by them. A study found that watching videos of a soft robot ...

While reconfigurable soft robots are still in their infancy, such a technique could someday enable general-purpose robots that can adapt their shapes to accomplish diverse tasks. "When people think ...

Roboticists have been motivated by a long-standing goal to make robots safer. The new actuator could be used to develop inexpensive, soft, flexible robots which are safer and more practical for ...

Engineers at MIT have devised an ingenious new way to produce artificial muscles for soft robots that can flex in more than one direction, similar to the complex muscles in the human body. The team ...

Soft robotics and actuator systems represent a transformative approach to machine design by replacing rigid components with compliant, deformable materials. This paradigm shift draws inspiration from ...