We’re seeing a whole lot of chatter over social media, and in the scientific literature on robotics. Our world is set to change over the next five to ten years thanks to autonomous vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, and advanced robotics. We also take a look at some “extreme” robots – those that might not fit into what many would consider a robot… And, we report on the world’s lamest robot too…
But what about soft & squishy robots?
When we think of robots, we typically think of them built from hard materials, such as plastics or metal — however, Harvard University recently announced a small robotic octopus, which is entirely soft, self powered, and untethered. Chemically powered by hydrogen peroxide, the eight squishy legs are moved in sets of four at a time using microfluidic controllers within the device. (C&EN 9/5/2016, New Scientist 9/3/2016) This is claimed to be the first robot made entirely of non-rigid materials as reported by the journal Nature.
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