Soft robotics have several key advantages over rigid counterparts, including their inherent safety features &ndash; soft materials with motions powered by inflating and deflating air chambers can safely be used in fragile environments or in proximity with humans &ndash; as well as their flexibility that enables them to fit into tight spaces. Textiles have become a choice material for constructing many types of soft robots, especially wearables, but the traditional &ldquo;cut and sew&rdquo; methods of manufacturing have left much to be desired.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1684419307798-Inchworm-like+inspection+robot.png" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Now, researchers at the <a href="https://seas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences</a> (SEAS) have established a new approach for additively manufacturing soft robotics, using a 3D knitting method that can holistically &ldquo;print&rdquo; entire soft robots. Their work is reported in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202212541" target="_blank">Advanced Functional Materials</a>.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tVnnVMoWdwA?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>&ldquo;The soft robotics community is still in the phase of seeking alternative materials approaches that will enable us to go beyond more classical rigid robot shapes and functions,&rdquo; says&nbsp;<a href="https://seas.harvard.edu/person/robert-wood" target="_blank">Robert Wood</a>, senior corresponding author on the paper, who is the Harry Lewis and Marlyn McGrath Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at SEAS.&ldquo;Textiles are appealing since we can radically tune their structural properties by choice of their constituent fibers and how those fibers interact with each other,&rdquo; Wood says.&ldquo;Using &lsquo;cut and sew&rsquo; methods, you need to manufacture large sheets of textile material that you then cut into patterns that are assembled by stitching or bonding &ndash; and this typically involves a high level of human labor,&rdquo; says Vanessa Sanchez, first author on the paper and a former Ph.D. student in Wood&rsquo;s lab. &ldquo;Every seam adds costs, and potential points of failure. For manufacturing complex robotic devices, this can be a big challenge.&rdquo;Sanchez was intrigued by the concept of 3D knitting, which can produce seamless articles of clothing with little material waste. She wondered if the method could be adapted to create textile-based soft robots.The team acquired a vintage punch card knitting machine and Sanchez connected with knitting experts from the Rhode Island School of Design and Parsons School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology.To automate the knitting process, Sanchez and the team also needed to develop software that could direct the knitting equipment &ndash; machines often several-decades old &ndash; to make complex structures out of various types of yarns. &ldquo;In one instance, I had to trick the machinery &ndash; using a software program &ndash; into thinking that my computer was a floppy disk,&rdquo; Sanchez says. After initial experiments were promising the team moved to a more modern, automated machine.James McCann, an Assistant Professor at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, collaborated on the software. &ldquo;The team wanted to develop and characterize a wide range of soft actuators &ndash; they weren&#39;t just building one pattern, they were building a whole set of parametric patterns,&rdquo; McCann says. &ldquo;This is hard to do with traditional knitting design software,&nbsp;which is generally focused on developing single outputs by hand instead of easily-adjustable parametric families of outputs.&rdquo;To create a workaround, the team described the 3D patterns using a &quot;knitout&quot; file format &ndash; a knitting description written in general-purpose programming languages &ndash; and then developed code to translate those knitout descriptions to run on their desired knitting machine.&ldquo;The cool thing about developing parametric patterns in a generic knitting format like knitout is that other groups with different types of knitting machines can use and build on the same patterns, without extensive translation effort,&rdquo; McCann says.After setting up their 3D knitting process, Sanchez and collaborators conducted a series of experiments to, for the first time, create an extensive library of knowledge about the way various knitting parameters impact mechanical properties of the resulting material. Testing 20 different combinations of yarn, structure, and more, the team characterized how varied knit architectures impact folding and unfolding, structural geometry, and tensile properties.Using combinations of these structures, they demonstrated many different knit robot prototypes, including various types of gripper devices with bending and grasping appendages, a multi-chamber claw, an inchworm-like robot, and a snake-like actuator capable of picking up objects much heavier than the device itself.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0MMKsr-5jPA?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> &ldquo;We wanted to create a library for engineers to draw from to develop a variety of soft robots, so we characterized the mechanical properties of many different knits,&rdquo; Sanchez says. &ldquo;3D knitting is a new way of thinking about additive manufacturing, about how to make things that could be reconfigured or redeployed. There are already industrial machines to support this type of manufacturing &ndash; with this initial step, we think our approach can scale and translate out of the lab.&rdquo;&ldquo;I envision that programmable textiles will have a similar impact on how soft robots are made as fiber-reinforced composites have had on the construction of high-performance aircraft and automobiles,&rdquo; Wood says.<hr>Additional authors on the paper include Kausalya Mahadevan, Gabrielle Ohlson, Moritz A. Graule, Michelle C. Yuen, Clark B. Teeple, James C. Weaver, and Katia Bertoldi.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (grant nos. EFMA-1830901, DMR-1420570, 1955444, and DMR-2138020), the Army Research Office (grant no. W911NF-22-1-0219), Harvard SEAS, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, and a National GEM Consortium fellowship.

Additively manufacturing soft robots could reduce waste, increase performance

3D knitted robots

This article was first published on&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2023/softzoo-simulates-wildlife-soft-robotics-for-designers-0502" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>. &nbsp;<hr>Since the term &ldquo;soft robotics&rdquo; was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5995266/" target="_blank">adopted</a> in 2008, engineers in the field have been building diverse representations of flexible machines useful in exploration, locomotion, rehabilitation, and even space. One source of inspiration: the way animals move in the wild. A team of MIT researchers has taken this a step further, developing&nbsp;<a href="https://openreview.net/forum?id=Xyme9p1rpZw" target="_blank">SoftZoo</a>, a bio-inspired platform that enables engineers to study soft robot co-design. The framework optimizes algorithms that consist of design, which determines what the robot will look like; and control, or the system that enables robotic motion, improving how users automatically generate outlines for potential machines. Taking a walk on the wild side, the platform features 3-D models of animals such as panda bears, fishes, sharks, and caterpillars as designs that can simulate soft robotics tasks like locomotion, agile turning, and path following in different environments. Whether by snow, desert, clay, or water, the platform demonstrates the performance trade-offs of various designs in different terrains.&ldquo;Our framework can help users find the best configuration for a robot&rsquo;s shape, allowing them to design soft robotics algorithms that can do many different things,&rdquo; says MIT PhD student Tsun-Hsuan Wang, an affiliate of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) who is a lead researcher on the project. &ldquo;In essence, it helps us understand the best strategies for robots to interact with their environments.&rdquo;SoftZoo is more comprehensive than similar platforms, which already simulate design and control, because it models movement that reacts to the physical features of various biomes. The framework&rsquo;s versatility comes from a differentiable multiphysics engine, which allows for the simulation of several aspects of a physical system at the same time, such as a baby seal turning on ice or a caterpillar inching across a wetland environment. The engine&rsquo;s differentiability optimizes co-design by reducing the number of the often expensive simulations required to solve computational control and design problems. As a result, users can design and move soft robots with more sophisticated, specified algorithms.The system&rsquo;s ability to simulate interactions with different terrain illustrates the importance of morphology, a branch of biology that studies the shapes, sizes, and forms of different organisms. Depending on the environment, some biological structures are more optimal than others, much like comparing blueprints for machines that complete similar tasks.&nbsp;These biological outlines can inspire more specialized, terrain-specific artificial life. &ldquo;A jellyfish&rsquo;s gently undulating geometry allows it to efficiently travel across large bodies of water, inspiring researchers to develop new breeds of soft robots and opening up unlimited possibilities of what artificial creatures cultivated entirely in silico can be capable of,&rdquo; says Wang. &ldquo;Additionally, dragonflies can perform very agile maneuvers that other flying creatures cannot complete because they have special structures on their wings that change their center of mass when they fly. Our platform optimizes locomotion the same way a dragonfly is naturally more adept at working through its surroundings.&rdquo;Robots previously struggled to navigate through cluttered environments because their bodies were not compliant with their surroundings. With SoftZoo, though, designers could develop the robot&rsquo;s brain and body simultaneously, co-optimizing both terrestrial and aquatic machines to be more aware and specialized. With increased behavioral and morphological intelligence, the robots would then be more useful in completing rescue missions and conducting exploration. If a person went missing during a flood, for example, the robot could potentially traverse the waters more efficiently because it was optimized using methods demonstrated in the SotftZoo platform.&ldquo;SoftZoo provides open-source simulation for soft robot designers, helping them build real-world robots much more easily and flexibly while accelerating the machines&rsquo; locomotion capabilities in diverse environments,&rdquo; adds study co-author Chuang Gan, a research scientist at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab who will soon be an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.&ldquo;This computational approach to co-designing the soft robot bodies and their brains (that is, their controllers) opens the door to rapidly creating customized machines that are designed for a specific task,&rdquo; adds Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL and the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), who is another author of the work.Before any type of robot is constructed, the framework could be a substitute for field testing unnatural scenes. For example, assessing how a bear-like robot behaves in a desert may be challenging for a research team working in the urban plains of Boston. Instead, soft robotics engineers could use 3-D models in SoftZoo to simulate different designs and evaluate how effective the algorithms controlling their robots are at navigation. In turn, this would save researchers time and resources.Still, the limitations of current fabrication techniques stand in the way of bringing these soft robot designs to life. &ldquo;Transferring from simulation to physical robot remains unsolved and requires further study,&rdquo; says Wang. &ldquo;The muscle models, spatially varying stiffness, and sensorization in SoftZoo cannot be straightforwardly realized with current fabrication techniques, so we are working on these challenges.&rdquo;In the future, the platform&rsquo;s designers are eyeing applications in human mechanics, such as manipulation, given its ability to test robotic control. To demonstrate this potential, Wang&rsquo;s team designed a 3-D arm&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/softzoo-iclr-2023/simple-extension-to-manipulation" target="_blank">throwing</a> a snowball forward. By including the simulation of more human-like tasks, soft robotics designers could then use the platform to assess soft robotic arms that grasp, move, and stack objects.Wang, Gan, and Rus wrote a&nbsp;<a href="https://openreview.net/forum?id=Xyme9p1rpZw" target="_blank">paper</a> on the work alongside EECS PhD student and CSAIL affiliate Pingchuan Ma, Harvard University postdoc Andrew Spielberg PhD &rsquo;21, Carnegie Mellon University PhD student Zhou Xian, UMass Amherst Associate Professor Hao Zhang, and MIT professor of brain and cognitive sciences and CSAIL affiliate Joshua B. Tenenbaum.Wang completed this work during an internship at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, with the NSF EFRI Program, DARPA MCS Program, MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, and gift funding from MERL, Cisco, and Amazon all providing support for the project. The team&rsquo;s research will be presented at the 2023 International Conference on Learning Representations this month.<hr>&quot;Reprinted with permission of&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2023/softzoo-simulates-wildlife-soft-robotics-for-designers-0502" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>&quot; &nbsp;

Researchers developed a system for soft robot co-design, which means jointly searching and optimizing for robot design — the shape of the robot, where to put muscle in the robot body, how soft the robot is in different body regions; and based on the robot design, the way to control it to achieve a target task. Image: Alex Shipps/MIT CSAIL and the researchers

SoftZoo is a soft robot co-design platform that can test optimal shapes and sizes for robotic performance in different environments.

Open-source platform simulates wildlife for soft robotics designers

This article was first published on&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2023/robotic-hand-can-identify-objects-just-one-grasp-0403" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>. &nbsp;<hr>Inspired by the human finger, MIT researchers have developed a robotic hand that uses high-resolution touch sensing to accurately identify an object after grasping it just one time.Many robotic hands pack all their powerful sensors into the fingertips, so an object must be in full contact with those fingertips to be identified, which can take multiple grasps. Other designs use lower-resolution sensors spread along the entire finger, but these don&rsquo;t capture as much detail, so multiple regrasps are often required.Instead, the MIT team built a robotic finger with a rigid skeleton encased in a soft outer layer that has multiple high-resolution sensors incorporated under its transparent &ldquo;skin.&rdquo; The sensors, which use a camera and LEDs to gather visual information about an object&rsquo;s shape, provide continuous sensing along the finger&rsquo;s entire length. Each finger captures rich data on many parts of an object simultaneously.Using this design, the researchers built a three-fingered robotic hand that could identify objects after only one grasp, with about 85 percent accuracy. The rigid skeleton makes the fingers strong enough to pick up a heavy item, such as a drill, while the soft skin enables them to securely grasp a pliable item, like an empty plastic water bottle, without crushing it.These soft-rigid fingers could be especially useful in an at-home-care robot designed to interact with an elderly individual. The robot could lift a heavy item off a shelf with the same hand it uses to help the individual take a bath.&ldquo;Having both soft and rigid elements is very important in any hand, but so is being able to perform great sensing over a really large area, especially if we want to consider doing very complicated manipulation tasks like what our own hands can do. Our goal with this work was to combine all the things that make our human hands so good into a robotic finger that can do tasks other robotic fingers can&rsquo;t currently do,&rdquo; says mechanical engineering graduate student Sandra Liu, co-lead author of a research paper on the robotic finger.Liu wrote the <a data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.17935.pdf" target="_blank">paper</a> with co-lead author and mechanical engineering undergraduate student Leonardo Zamora Ya&ntilde;ez and her advisor, Edward Adelson, the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Vision Science in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). The research will be presented at the RoboSoft Conference.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1680629680887-MIT-GelSignEndoFlex-02-press.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">When the finger grasps an object, the camera captures images as the colored LEDs illuminate the skin from the inside. Using the illuminated contours that appear in the soft skin, an algorithm performs backward calculations to map the contours on the grasped object&rsquo;s surface. Image: Courtesy of the researchers<h2>A human-inspired finger</h2>The robotic finger is comprised of a rigid, 3D-printed endoskeleton that is placed in a mold and encased in a transparent silicone &ldquo;skin.&rdquo; Making the finger in a mold removes the need for fasteners or adhesives to hold the silicone in place.The researchers designed the mold with a curved shape so the robotic fingers are slightly curved when at rest, just like human fingers.&ldquo;Silicone will wrinkle when it bends, so we thought that if we have the finger molded in this curved position, when you curve it more to grasp an object, you won&rsquo;t induce as many wrinkles. Wrinkles are good in some ways &mdash; they can help the finger slide along surfaces very smoothly and easily &mdash; but we didn&rsquo;t want wrinkles that we couldn&rsquo;t control,&rdquo; Liu says.The endoskeleton of each finger contains a pair of detailed touch sensors, known as GelSight sensors, embedded into the top and middle sections, underneath the transparent skin. The sensors are placed so the range of the cameras overlaps slightly, giving the finger continuous sensing along its entire length.The GelSight sensor, based on technology pioneered in the Adelson group, is composed of a camera and three colored LEDs. When the finger grasps an object, the camera captures images as the colored LEDs illuminate the skin from the inside.Using the illuminated contours that appear in the soft skin, an algorithm performs backward calculations to map the contours on the grasped object&rsquo;s surface. The researchers trained a machine-learning model to identify objects using raw camera image data.As they fine-tuned the finger fabrication process, the researchers ran into several obstacles.First, silicone has a tendency to peel off surfaces over time. Liu and her collaborators found they could limit this peeling by adding small curves along the hinges between the joints in the endoskeleton.When the finger bends, the bending of the silicone is distributed along the tiny curves, which reduces stress and prevents peeling. They also added creases to the joints so the silicone is not squashed as much when the finger bends.While troubleshooting their design, the researchers realized wrinkles in the silicone prevent the skin from ripping.&ldquo;The usefulness of the wrinkles was an accidental discovery on our part. When we synthesized them on the surface, we found that they actually made the finger more durable than we expected,&rdquo; she says.<h2>Getting a good grasp</h2>Once they had perfected the design, the researchers built a robotic hand using two fingers arranged in a Y pattern with a third finger as an opposing thumb. The hand captures six images when it grasps an object (two from each finger) and sends those images to a machine-learning algorithm which uses them as inputs to identify the object.Because the hand has tactile sensing covering all of its fingers, it can gather rich tactile data from a single grasp.&ldquo;Although we have a lot of sensing in the fingers, maybe adding a palm with sensing would help it make tactile distinctions even better,&rdquo; Liu says.In the future, the researchers also want to improve the hardware to reduce the amount of wear and tear in the silicone over time and add more actuation to the thumb so it can perform a wider variety of tasks.This work was supported, in part, by the Toyota Research Institute, the Office of Naval Research, and the SINTEF BIFROST project.<hr>&quot;Reprinted with permission of&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2023/robotic-hand-can-identify-objects-just-one-grasp-0403" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT News</a>&quot; &nbsp;

MIT researchers developed a soft-rigid robotic finger that incorporates powerful sensors along its entire length, enabling them to produce a robotic hand that could accurately identify objects after only one grasp. Image: Courtesy of the researchers

The three-fingered robotic gripper can “feel” with great sensitivity along the full length of each finger – not just at the tips.

Robotic hand can identify objects with just one grasp

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dip under narrow spaces. The caterpillar-bot&rsquo;s movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the way the robot bends, allowing users to steer the robot in either direction.&ldquo;A caterpillar&rsquo;s movement is controlled by local curvature of its body &ndash; its body curves differently when it pulls itself forward than it does when it pushes itself backward,&rdquo; says Yong Zhu, corresponding author of a paper on the work and the Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC&nbsp;State. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve drawn inspiration from the caterpillar&rsquo;s biomechanics to mimic that local curvature, and use nanowire heaters to control similar curvature and movement in the caterpillar-bot.&ldquo;Engineering soft robots that can move in two different directions is a significant challenge in soft robotics,&rdquo; Zhu says. &ldquo;The embedded nanowire heaters allow us to control the movement of the robot in two ways. We can control which sections of the robot bend by controlling the pattern of heating in the soft robot. And we can control the extent to which those sections bend by controlling the amount of heat being applied.&rdquo;The caterpillar-bot consists of two layers of polymer, which respond differently when exposed to heat. The bottom layer shrinks, or contracts, when exposed to heat. The top layer expands when exposed to heat. A pattern of silver nanowires is embedded in the expanding layer of polymer. The pattern includes multiple lead points where researchers can apply an electric current. The researchers can control which sections of the nanowire pattern heat up by applying an electric current to different lead points, and can control the amount of heat by applying more or less current.&ldquo;We demonstrated that the caterpillar-bot is capable of pulling itself forward and pushing itself backward,&rdquo; says Shuang Wu, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at NC&nbsp;State. &ldquo;In general, the more current we applied, the faster it would move in either direction. However, we found that there was an optimal cycle, which gave the polymer time to cool &ndash; effectively allowing the &lsquo;muscle&rsquo; to relax before contracting again. If we tried to cycle the caterpillar-bot too quickly, the body did not have time to &lsquo;relax&rsquo; before contracting again, which impaired its movement.&rdquo;The researchers also demonstrated that the caterpillar-bot&rsquo;s movement could be controlled to the point where users were able steer it under a very low gap &ndash; similar to guiding the robot to slip under a door. In essence, the researchers could control both forward and backward motion as well as how high the robot bent upwards at any point in that process.&ldquo;This approach to driving motion in a soft robot is highly energy efficient, and we&rsquo;re interested in exploring ways that we could make this process even more efficient,&rdquo; Zhu says. &ldquo;Additional next steps include integrating this approach to soft robot locomotion with sensors or other technologies for use in various applications &ndash; such as search-and-rescue devices.&rdquo;The paper, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adf8014" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Caterpillar-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot with Distributed Programmable Thermal Actuation</a>,&rdquo; is published in the open-access journal&nbsp;Science Advances. The paper was co-authored by Jie Yin, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC&nbsp;State; Yaoye Hong, a Ph.D. student at NC&nbsp;State; and by Yao Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher at NC&nbsp;State.The work was done with support from the National Science Foundation, under grants 2122841, 2005374 and 2126072; and from the National Institutes of Health, under grant number 1R01HD108473.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a caterpillar-like soft robot that can move forward, backward and dip under narrow spaces. The caterpillar-bot’s movement is driven by a novel pattern of silver nanowires that use heat to control the way the robot bends, allowing users to steer the robot in either direction.

Robot Caterpillar Demonstrates New Approach to Locomotion for Soft Robotics

The first fully soft autonomous robot. Source: Harvard, Wyss Institute

New frontiers in robotics materials.

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report: Materials

<h2>Report introduction</h2>The discussion and focus of the field of robotics have often been closely tied to its manufacturing application origins. However, over the past decade, robotics has exploded to include devices that augment surgery, assist with elderly care, lead search and rescue missions and monitor waterways. The importance of robotics is not lost on the engineering community &mdash; robotics-related content is continually the most read on the Wevolver platform. With that focus in mind, The 2023 Robotics Manufacturing Report is to enable you to be up to date and understand the complexity and depth of robotics and to help you gain specific insights into the current status of robotics manufacturing.&nbsp;Over the next five chapters of the report, we will examine the core technologies that make up a robotics project and shed light on the trends and challenges in creating them.&nbsp;<h2 id="isPasted">Read the full report now.</h2>Each week we&#39;ll release a chapter of the report. However, if you can&#39;t wait that long, you can download the full report now by entering your email address below.Protolabs is also sending out printed versions of the e-book if you opt-in for their relevant updates in the register form below.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1682492249861-General+mid-newsletter+banners+%281%29.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><iframe width="540" height="335" src="https://c8056756.sibforms.com/serve/MUIEAKfs3i39sLs9xJIsvIJPYFOuDFqQOxVTkHZZw5HRmGG58TyrV1QSi0EFB--IESBvdQF0KchA5utRTVE7YN_Aye3xR9ZRzchjsg_yPe-7V1sk0w5UZszhxRh5e_OxIO_QMs55fzswRZCr4lJynzB1iUXsaEbQIkTJ8nqKdanrB07qbmluVbnElQ_85hzXGp09ERVlxVHNAdCq" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen="" style="display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;max-width: 100%;" class="fr-draggable" data-gtm-yt-inspected-8="true" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true"></iframe> <h3>Understanding new materials</h3>One of the most exciting areas of technological advancement is in materials. As the survey linked to this report found, many consider soft robotics an area with great potential. One early example of soft robotics are soft grippers, which are more flexible and can grip a wider variety of items. This makes robots able to perform even more logistic tasks. They are also able to handle delicate and perishable items. This opens up interesting opportunities in agriculture, where the interest in automation is growing fast.Soft robotics presents new problems that need to be addressed. Materials and design need to be carefully evaluated. When developing grippers for a particular application it&rsquo;s important to consider that these materials are different from other commonly used materials. This makes it especially important to know the manufacturing process used, and to be aware of their opportunities and challenges. It&rsquo;s also important to approach this in an iterative way as this explores new context where robotics have not been used before. Here the ability to make small numbers of parts in many different soft materials is key. This makes iterations faster and shortens the development time. As this is new and materials are sometimes challenging, special care has to be taken when working with suppliers.&nbsp;<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JlaszxIPfVY?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-8="true" id="294035563" title="CSAIL Robotic Arm Slithers Like A Snake Through Pipes" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true"></iframe> <h3>Iterative design cycles</h3>Developing and manufacturing robots for these emerging markets presents new challenges and requires creative thinking. As with the soft robots mentioned previously, an iterative approach with a close eye on manufacturability is necessary here. A key factor for consideration is that the users will be much more diverse as will the situations the robots will be used in. The low-cost factor drives the need for more focus on keeping up with the latest manufacturing methods and to design with them in mind. Here, good support from suppliers and partners are essential as they know their methods best.&nbsp;In other parts of robotics, we also see tremendous growth in advanced systems. Images, video and other data streams that can be considered complex can now be processed reliably. New legged platforms can bring the technology out in complex production settings that are not constructed with robotics in mind. IoT devices can monitor systems in new ways, and because they are small and cheap, they can be used in large numbers.&nbsp;More advanced robotics systems also allow for more remote working in roles that traditionally have been onsite. This reduces staff cost and provides existing staff with a better work environment. Improvements in resource utilisation is also an opportunity as problems can be addressed by accessing the robot remotely, reducing response time and increasing up time. It can also enable cooperation between humans and robots. The robot can do the 80% that is relatively easy to automate. When necessary, it calls on the human to do the remaining 20% that is hard or impossible to automate, or to fix any problems.&nbsp;<h3>Plug and play democratises development</h3>The introduction of ecosystems of products that work together around common standards will be incredibly significant in the long term, as it was when the same thing was introduced to computer peripherals. Nowadays everyone expects that whatever they buy and plug in to their computer will just work. Plug and play has indeed fulfilled its destiny. The same thing is about to happen in robotics, automation, and IoT. The trend is moving towards a time when a task can be automated with a solution that &quot;just plugs into&quot; your operation. Even if this is achievable, automating complex production will always be much more complicated.&nbsp;Product ecosystems will be quite practical in many production and logistics settings. This growing ecosystem of software and hardware that all work together is also a key factor in bringing new technologies to market much quicker. They make it surprisingly easy to assemble solutions. These trends together make robotics available, practical, and affordable.On the financial side of things, we are not only seeing prices coming down, but also much more flexible ways of paying. With today&#39;s more intelligent systems, you can pay per task that the robot performs for you. This and other new robotics as a service (RaaS) implementations drastically lower the barriers to entry. This makes it possible to try robotics in more contexts and see where a good fit can be found.So, to sum up, this report will give you key knowledge about the current state of robotics, covering opportunities in new materials, and innovative ways of designing and manufacturing robots. Trends that are expected to be significant are also discussed in this report. Examples of the wide variety of new systems that are currently being developed are also included.This introductory chapter was written by <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/per.sjoborg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Per Sj&ouml;borg</a>.<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-2023-protolabs-robotics-manufacturing-status-report-materials" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read the report&#39;s second chapter here.</a><h2>About the sponsor: Protolabs</h2><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/protolabs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Protolabs</a>&nbsp;is the world&rsquo;s fastest digital manufacturing source for custom prototypes and low-volume production parts. We use advanced injection moulding, CNC machining and 3D printing technologies to produce parts within days. The result is an unprecedented speed-to-market value for product designers and engineers worldwide.&nbsp;Our end-to-end digital thread enables faster and more efficient product development in order to produce parts in as fast as 1 day as well as eliminating most of the time-consuming and expensive skilled labour that is conventionally required. With manufacturing facilities operating across Europe, we can balance production across multiple sites and produce parts where they are needed.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5MzAwNzQ4MTkwLXByb3RvbGFicy1sb2dvLTU3MHgzMDgtcmVtb3ZlYmctcHJldmlldy5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

An engineer's guide to understanding the state of the art in hardware, materials, and the future of robotics manufacturing.

The 2023 Manufacturing Robotics Report

The newest development in softbotics will have a transformative impact on robotics, electronics, and medicine.&nbsp;<a href="https://engineering.cmu.edu/directory/bios/majidi-carmel.html" target="_blank">Carmel Majidi</a> has engineered a soft material with metal-like conductivity and self-healing properties that, for the first time, can support power-hungry devices.&ldquo;Softbotics is about seamlessly integrating robotics into everyday life, putting humans at the center,&rdquo; explained Majidi, a professor of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.meche.engineering.cmu.edu/index.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">mechanical engineeringOpens in new window</a>.Engineers work to integrate robots into our everyday lives with the hope of improving our mobility, health, and well-being. For example, patients might one day recover from surgery at home thanks to a wearable robot monitoring aid. To integrate robots seamlessly, they need to be able to move with us, withstand damage, and have electrical functionality without being encased in a hard structure.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E4nBsJGkK7Y?&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> Majidi&rsquo;s material, a liquid metal filled organogel composite with high electrical conductivity, low stiffness, high stretchability, and self-healing properties, is foundational to bringing these softbotics to life.The team introduced the material in three applications: a damage resistant snail-inspired robot, a modular circuit for powering a toy car, and a reconfigurable bioelectrode for measuring muscle activity on different locations of the body.The fully untethered snail robot used the self-healing conductive material on its soft exterior, which was embedded with a battery and electric motor to control motion. During the demonstration, the team severed the conductive material and watched as its speed dropped by more than 50%. Because of its self-healing properties, when the material was manually reconnected, the robot restored its electrical connection and recovered 68% of its original speed.&ldquo;This is the first soft material that can maintain a high enough electrical conductivity to support digital electronics and power-hungry devices,&rdquo; said Majidi. &ldquo;We have demonstrated that you can actually power motors with it.&rdquo;<blockquote>This is the first soft material that can support power hungry devices. We can power motors with it.<cite>Carmel Majidi<cite style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400;">,&nbsp;</cite>Professor, Mechanical Engineering</cite></blockquote>The material can also act as a modular building block for reconfigurable circuits.&ldquo;In practice there will be cases where you want to reuse and recycle these gel-like electronics into different configurations, and our toy car demonstration shows that you can do that,&rdquo; explained Majidi.Initially, one piece of gel connected the toy car to a motor. When the team split that gel into three sections and connected one section to a roof-mounted LED, they were able to restore the car&rsquo;s connection to the motor using the two remaining sections.Lastly, the team demonstrated the material&rsquo;s ability to be reconfigured to obtain electromyography (EMG) readings from different locations on the body. Because of its modular design, the organogel can be refitted to measure hand activity on the anterior muscles of the forearm and to the back of the leg to measure calf activity. This opens doors to tissue-electronic interfaces like EMGs and EKGs using soft, reusable materials.&ldquo;Instead of being wired up with biomonitoring electrodes connecting you to biomeasurement hardware mounted on a cart, our gel can be used as a bioelectrode that directly interfaces with body-mounted electronics that can collect information and transmit it wirelessly,&rdquo; Majidi explained.Moving forward, Majidi hopes to couple this work on artificial nervous tissue with his research on artificial muscle to build robots made entirely of soft, gel-like materials.&ldquo;It would be interesting to see soft-bodied robots used for monitoring hard to reach places&ndash;whether that be a snail that could monitor water quality, or a slug that could crawl around our houses looking for mold.&rdquo;

Introducing the first soft material that can maintain a high enough electrical conductivity to support power hungry devices.

Engineering breakthrough in softbotics

Soft robotics is a rapidly advancing field of robotics that involves the design and development of robots made from flexible and deformable materials. These robots, unlike their traditional rigid counterparts, have the ability to adapt to their environment, navigate complex and dynamic spaces, and interact safely with humans. Soft robots can be made from materials such as silicone, rubber, and other flexible polymers, and they can be made to resemble a wide range of shapes and structures.&nbsp;In this article, we list out and explain in detail the different types of actuators used in soft robotics, including pneumatic, hydraulic, shape memory alloys, electro-active polymers, and magnetic fields. We also explore some applications of soft robotics enabled by them.<h1 dir="ltr">Introduction</h1>Since the early days of robotics, the focus has been on rigid and inflexible machines capable of performing specific tasks with high speed, high accuracy, and high repeatability. However, the limitations of traditional robotics eventually became apparent in specific fields, such as medicine, manufacturing, and disaster response, where safety and flexibility were critical.Further research in the domain led to the creation of soft grippers and other soft components that could let the robots interact with their environment in a much better way.&nbsp;With the rise in popularity of biomimetics, the study of nature that inspires the design and development of new technologies, researchers have increasingly drawn inspiration from the behavior of biological entities to come up with creative ideas for the development of new and innovative robotic systems.Suggested reading: <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/biomimetics-the-science-of-robo-animals" target="_blank">Biomimetics: The Science of Robo-Animals</a>Advancements in material science and fabrication techniques, such as 3D printing, enabled the development of more complex soft robots that could be applied in various areas like biomedical devices, wearables, and disaster response.[1]In the early 2010s, Prof. George Whitesides from <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/harvard.university" target="_blank">Harvard University</a> coined the term &ldquo;soft robotics&rdquo;.[2] IEEE Robotics and Automation Society established a new technical committee for soft robotics to promote research in the domain, and since then, the field has continued to evolve.[3]<h1 dir="ltr">Types of Actuators Powering Soft Robots</h1>Soft robots need power sources to drive the actuation of their moving parts. Actuation is the process of generating movement in a robot, and it is necessary for soft robots to be able to move and interact with their environment. Here are the different types of actuators powering soft robotics:<h2 dir="ltr">Pneumatic and Hydraulic actuators</h2>Just as electric motors require a power source, such as a battery or an external power supply, to drive the robot&#39;s movement, hydraulic and pneumatic systems require a source of pressurized fluid, such as air or water.Pneumatic actuators use compressed air to generate force and motion. They are often made of flexible materials such as rubber or silicone and can be shaped to fit a variety of applications. Pneumatic artificial muscle made of a flexible tube can expand when pressurized and produce a contracting force when depressurized.Hydraulic actuators, on the other hand, use a liquid such as water or oil to generate force. They can produce higher forces than pneumatic actuators and are often used in industrial automation applications. In soft robotics, hydraulic actuators are made of flexible materials.While pneumatic actuators are lightweight and easy to control, they may not be as powerful as hydraulic actuators to drive a soft robot. Hydraulic actuators generate more force but require additional components, such as pumps and reservoirs, to function, which can add significant complexity to the design.&nbsp;<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_4BTGgJjHog?&ab_channel=NASALangleyResearchCenter&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> Pneumatic and Hydraulic actuators may also incorporate sensors and feedback mechanisms to enable precise control. Ultimately, the choice of the actuator depends on the specific requirements of the soft robot being developed.<h2 dir="ltr">Shape-memory alloys</h2>Shape-memory alloys (SMA) are unique actuators that change shape when exposed to heat. This method also requires a power source, such as a battery or an external power supply, to generate the electric current for heating up the alloy.SMAs can be bent or deformed into a particular shape, and when they are heated, they will return to their original shape, generating a mechanical force. This property makes them useful for soft robotic systems that require high force and precision, such as those used in biomedical devices and prosthetics.Some commonly used SMAs are Nitinol (Nickel-Titanium alloy), Copper-Aluminum-Nickel alloys, Iron-Manganese-Silicon alloys, Copper-zinc-aluminum alloys, etc. Overall, SMAs have a number of useful properties, including less weight, flexibility, and the ability to generate high forces, making them a promising power source for developing soft robotic devices.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lbJHa9QL0D8?&ab_channel=HarrisonYoung&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><h2 dir="ltr">Electro-active polymer actuators</h2>Electro-active polymer (EAP) actuators use an applied electric field to generate mechanical deformation. EAPs are a promising technology for use in soft robotics, as they offer several advantages over other types of actuators.The key advantages of EAP actuators are their softness and flexibility. EAPs can be fabricated into a variety of shapes and sizes, making them well-suited for use in soft robots. Additionally, EAPs have the potential to be more lightweight and energy-efficient than traditional actuators, which can be crucial in applications where weight and power consumption are critical.There are several types of EAP actuators, including dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs), and conductive polymers. Each of these types of EAP actuators works by a different mechanism, but all of them involve the use of an applied electric field to generate mechanical deformation.DEAs, for example, are made of a thin layer of a soft, electrically insulating polymer sandwiched between two layers of compliant electrodes. When an electric field is applied to the electrodes, it causes the polymer to deform, generating a change in shape or volume. This deformation can be used to drive the movement of a soft robot.IPMCs are made of a thin layer of an ion-containing polymer sandwiched between two layers of metal electrodes. When an electric field is applied, the ions in the polymer move towards one of the electrodes, causing the polymer to bend. This bending can be used to generate movement in a soft robot.Conductive polymers are a third type of EAP actuator that use the conductivity of the polymer to generate mechanical deformation. When an electric field is applied to a conductive polymer, it causes the polymer to expand or contract, depending on the strength and the direction of the field. This deformation can be used to drive the movement of a soft robot.EAP actuators offer a promising avenue for actuation in soft robotics; however, there are still several challenges that need to be addressed to fully realize their potential in soft robotics, such as improving their durability and scalability.<h2 dir="ltr">Magnetic actuators</h2>Magnetic actuators, as the name suggests, are actuators that use magnetic fields to generate movement. They consist of a magnet embedded in a flexible, elastomeric material. When a magnetic field is applied to the magnet, it causes the elastomer to deform, which drives the movement of a soft robot.One of the advantages of magnetic actuators is that they are relatively simple and inexpensive to fabricate. They also offer a high degree of precision and control, which can be important in certain applications.In soft gripper applications, magnetic actuators are used to generate the force needed to grasp and manipulate objects. By adjusting the strength and direction of the magnetic field, the grip force of the gripper can be finely tuned to the requirements of the task. In soft manipulator applications, magnetic actuators are used to drive the movement of the manipulator, allowing it to perform tasks such as grasping and releasing objects. In sensor applications, magnetic actuators are used as the sensing element, allowing the robot to detect and respond to changes in its environment.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OXRmxuB60DQ?&ab_channel=naturevideo&wmode=opaque&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> One of the challenges of using magnetic actuators in soft robotics is the need for a strong and consistent magnetic field, which can be difficult to achieve. Additionally, the design of the magnetic actuator can affect its performance, and optimizing the design can require a significant amount of time and resources.<h1 dir="ltr">Applications of Soft Robots</h1>Soft robotics is an emerging field that has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries. Here are some of the applications of soft robotics:<ul><li dir="ltr">Healthcare: Soft robots can potentially transform healthcare by enabling new forms of minimally invasive surgeries. The technology can also be used to build exosuits that help people with disabilities regain mobility. When used for making prosthetics, soft components can provide a more natural and comfortable fit for amputees.</li><li dir="ltr">Manufacturing:&nbsp;Soft robots are well-suited for manufacturing applications that require delicate handling of objects. They can also be used in assembly line operations to handle fragile components or to package products more efficiently and gently.</li><li dir="ltr">Survey and exploration: Soft robots can make their way through challenging environments such as underground mines, deep-sea environments, and space. Their softness and flexibility enables them to adapt to different obstacles and <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/connectivity-and-sensing-technologies-proven-in-the-harshest-environments" target="_blank">harsh environments</a>.</li><li dir="ltr">Agriculture: Soft robots can be used in agriculture to perform tasks such as planting, harvesting, and weeding. They can navigate through the fields without damaging crops. When used in conjunction with sensors and machine learning algorithms, these robots can prove to be a great help.</li><li dir="ltr">Search and Rescue: Soft robots can be used in search and rescue operations to locate and extract people from collapsed buildings or search for survivors in areas inaccessible to traditional search and rescue equipment.</li><li dir="ltr">Entertainment:&nbsp;Soft robots can be used in theme parks, animatronics, and other interactive means of entertainment to provide a more lifelike and engaging experience for users. They can also be possibly used to create new forms of entertainment.</li><li dir="ltr">Education:&nbsp;Soft robots can also be used in educational settings to teach students about robotics and engineering. The teachers can demonstrate concepts such as motion, force, and control and inspire students to pursue careers in science and technology.</li></ul>These are just a few of the many applications of soft robotics. As research in this field continues to advance, we will likely see many new and exciting applications in the future.<h1 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h1>The development of advanced and sustainable power sources is key to unlocking the full potential of soft robotics and enabling these innovative machines to change the way robots interact with their environments.&nbsp;<h1 dir="ltr">About the sponsor: Mouser Electronics</h1>Mouser Electronics is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,200 manufacturer brands. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1678247690451-1678247690451.png" width="720" height="91" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><h1 dir="ltr">References</h1>[1] Wallin, T.J., Pikul, J. &amp; Shepherd, R.F. 3D printing of soft robotic systems. Nat Rev Mater 3, 84&ndash;100 (2018). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-018-0002-2" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-018-0002-2</a>[2] Carl Vause, &lsquo;This robot has soft hands. It could be the future of sustainable production&rsquo;, World Economic Forum, 21 June 2018, [Online], Available from: &nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/robot-soft-hands-sustainable-production-soft-robotics/" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/robot-soft-hands-sustainable-production-soft-robotics/</a>[3] IEEE Technical Committee for Soft Robotics, [Online], Available from <a href="https://www.ieee-ras.org/soft-robotics" target="_blank">https://www.ieee-ras.org/soft-robotics</a>

As the field of soft robotics continues to evolve, one of the most critical challenges researchers face is developing reliable and efficient power sources to drive these pliable machines.

Powering Soft Robotics: A Deeper Look at Soft Robotics Actuators

In this episode, we talk about a novel approach to multi-material 3D printing that&rsquo;ll enable the production of soft components capable of contracting in a similar fashion to muscles. &nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/235efdef-bd4f-4139-b93c-8f055c3332e8?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr>This podcast is sponsored by <a href="https://www2.mouser.com/" id="isPasted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1677576485712-Mouser-sponsor-1-a.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><hr><h3 id="isPasted">EPISODE NOTES</h3>(2:22) -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/multimaterial-3d-printing-with-a-twist" target="_blank">Multi-material 3D printing with a twist</a>This episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click <a href="https://resources.mouser.com/explore-all/selecting-a-3d-medical-printing-method" target="_blank">HERE</a> to read more about the various additive manufacturing approaches for medical applications that we discussed in this episode.<hr>As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.To learn more about this show, please visit our <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published. Be sure to give us a follow and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!

In this episode, we talk about a novel approach to multi-material 3D printing that’ll enable the production of soft components capable of contracting in a similar fashion to muscles. 