Communications of the ACM
Researchers Design ‘Soft’ Robots that Can Move on Their Own
A team of researchers in the U.S. and China collaborated on the development of a new class of soft robot.
Credit: University of Houston
A team of researchers, led by University of Houston (UH) professor Cunjiang Yu, has developed a new class of soft robot, made up of ultrathin sensing, actuating electronics and temperature-sensitive artificial muscles that can adapt to the environment.
The team included researchers from UH, Rice University, and Beijing University and Zhejiang University in China.
The new robot, which can crawl like an inchworm or caterpillar, could be used for a range of applications, including surgeries, rehabilitation, and search and rescue missions.
Since the robot's body can change shape in response to its surroundings, it can squeeze through narrow cracks that humans or other robots cannot.
The soft robot includes a liquid crystal elastomer doped with carbon black nanoparticles to enhance thermal conductivity. In addition, it has ultrathin mesh-shaped stretchable thermal actuators and silicon-based light sensors.
From University of Houston News
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