soft machines

Time-lapse photo series of a hydrogel with fuel added (middle row) compared with a control hydrogel to which nothing has been added (top row), over a three-week period (504 hours). The bottom row shows a hydrogel that changes shape independently when two different types of fuel are added. Credit: TU Delft
Synthetic life? Using a chemical fuel to drive interactions in non-living materials
Time-lapse photo series of a hydrogel with fuel added (middle row) compared with a control
A programmable balloon could pave the way for new shape-morphing devices
This programmable balloon could pave the way for new shape-morphing devices (Image courtesy of the Bertoldi
Replacing conventional pistons with compressible structures inside a membrane made of soft materials

300- year-old piston design reinvented with soft flexible materials can produce greater forces with higher

Next-generation soft materials with embedded chemical networks that mimic the behavior of neural tissue

U.S. Army-funded researchers at Brandeis University have discovered a process for engineering next-generation soft materials

Combining multiple soft materials into a complex machine requires an entirely new toolbox

Technique paves the way for more complex soft devices Every complex human tool, from the

A customizable soft robot that fits around a heart and helps it beat

Sleeve attaches directly around the heart Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital researchers have developed

The first autonomous, entirely soft robot: with no electronics

Powered by a chemical reaction controlled by microfluidics, 3D-printed ‘octobot’ has no electronics A team

Natural scale caterpillar soft robot is powered and controlled with light

Researchers at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw, using the liquid crystal

Transmitting energy in soft materials for autonomous soft systems

Soft materials are great at damping energy — that’s why rubber tires are so good

Flexible building blocks of the future may revolutionize prosthetics and wearable technologies

New mechanical ‘metamaterial’ developed at Tel Aviv University may revolutionize prosthetics and wearable technologies Ill-fitting

Artificial muscle could be the holy grail for soft robotics

Soft actuator could be ‘holy grail’ for soft robotics Soft robots do a lot of

Magnetic Nanoparticle Chains Offer New Technique for Controlling Soft Robots

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique for using chains of magnetic

Liquid metal brings shape-shifting robot a step closer

Hasta la vista, baby. A real-life T-1000, the shape-shifting liquid-metal robot from Terminator 2, is

Purdue researchers have developed a technique to embed a liquid-alloy pattern inside a rubber-like polymer to form a network of sensors. The approach might be used to produce "soft machines" made of elastic materials and liquid metals for potential applications in robotics, medical devices and consumer electronics. (Rebecca Kramer/Purdue University)
New manufacturing methods needed for ‘soft’ machines, robots

Researchers have developed a technique that might be used to produce “soft machines” made of

A Big Step on the Road to Soft Machines

“The big vision is soft machines” Gel-based audio speaker demonstrates capabilities of ionic conductors, long