Wevolver | Soft Robotics Articles

A world of soft robotics

A robot mimics the folded look of rose petals to grasp complex shapes more easily than a traditional hand. A pneumatic clamp makes it easier for people with motor disabilities to safely wield kitchen knives. Prostheses utilize shape memory polymers to better replicate the range of motion of a limb.

Artificial muscles - lighter, safer, more robust

Researchers at ETH Zurich have recently developed artificial muscles for robot motion. Their solution offers several advantages over previous technologies: it can be used wherever robots need to be soft rather than rigid or where they need more sensitivity when interacting with their environment.

Squishy, metal-free magnets to power robots and guide medical implants

Strong enough to move soft robots and medical capsules, weak enough to not ruin MRI images

podcast

Podcast: Exoskeleton To Help Parkinson's Patients Walk

In this episode, we talk about how a soft robotic exoskeleton from Harvard and Boston University is allowing patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease to get their independence back by being able to walk safely without extra assistance.

Soft robotic, wearable device improves walking for individual with Parkinson's disease

Robotic exosuit eliminated gait freezing, a common and highly debilitating symptom

Inch by inch, this machine is leading soft robotics telecient future

Princeton researchers have developed a flexible, lightweight and energy efficient soft robot that moves without the use of any legs or rotary parts. Instead, the device uses actuators that convert electrical energy into vibrations that allow it to wiggle from point to point using only a single watt.

Printed robots with bones, ligaments, and tendons

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique.

Soft, elephant trunk-like robot for close interaction with humans

EPFL researchers have designed a bio-inspired robot with a novel trimmed helicoid structure that allows for a wide range of motion and safe interaction with humans.

From Experiment to Final Print: Understanding Self-Regulation PTC Heaters

Heaters are one of the most successful applications of printed electronics. At first they seem deceptively simple, yet their successful realization is in fact an art relying on the interplay of all the elements from the right material selection to right design, right printing, etc. Learn how here.

Smart Textiles: monitoring, sensing and heating technology integrated in fabrics

Textiles are tactile, sensorial and visual. Qualities can be modified or even expanded when technology is added, transforming passive textiles into active and interactive devices, monitoring and detecting bodily functions due to their constant contact with our skin.

Liquid metals: a material that never ceases to amaze

In this article you will learn more about liquid metals, a material that never ceases to amaze. It is water-like at room temperature but with metallic properties. Here you will see how researchers want to make them printable or turn them into conductive, stretchable, and washable fibers for e-textiles.

Robot Caterpillar Demonstrates New Approach to Locomotion for Soft Robotics

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.