Researchers have developed soft robots that can emerge directly from the printers that created them.
These four-legged, mobile devices were created using new 3D printing technology that uses an innovative inverted printing approach.
Scientists say soft machines made from flexible materials such as elastic plastics have significant potential for applications in areas such as nuclear dismantling, biomedical engineering and space exploration.
The lack of scalable manufacturing and standardized design creates technical and financial barriers to the implementation of such devices, scientists say.
A team from the University of Edinburgh has set out to address these issues by developing a low-cost, desktop 3D printing system for making soft robots.
Their easy-to-use installation can be assembled for less than €500 using readily available components.
The team demonstrated the capabilities of their new system by creating robots made of soft plastic that run on compressed air.
Once printing is complete, the robots are connected to a source of compressed air and then exit the machine they were created on.
The researchers are confident that this could lead to the use of intelligent soft robotic systems without electronic components.
The project's chief engineer, Max Gepner, noted: “Previously, it took years to figure out how to print using these materials.
“With our new platform, anyone can easily print what was previously thought impossible.
“This is a game changer for both engineers and artists.
“We hope that this technology will become the basis for the next wave of scientific advances.
“We believe soft robotics is poised to make a significant impact in the real world, albeit with long-standing manufacturing and design challenges that have held back its progress.”
Max Gepner was assisted in the project by fellow PhD student John Mack from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems and lead researcher Professor Adam A. Stokes, who heads the university's Institute of Bioengineering.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
