Researchers have developed the first robot with a 3D-printed body that may seem soft and squishy to touch, but is tough enough on the inside and ready to pounce. The robot is powered by a mix of butane and oxygen. This blend of materials makes it much better at jumps than droids which are either completely hard or completely soft.
Scientists said that this type of Robot can come in handy in harsh environments that are too dangerous for humans, mainly because the bots are capable of surviving hard falls and other harsh circumstances. Michael Tolley who is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at University of California (San Diego) said: ‘We believe that bringing together soft and hard materials will help create a new generation of fast and agile robots that are more robust and adaptable than their predecessors and can safely work side by side with humans’. Tolley also added that the idea of mixing the soft and hard materials into a Robot came from nature.
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The robot consists of a soft, three legged body that absorbs impacts and a core that has key components like oxygen cartridge, butane cell, battery, air compressor and a combustion chamber. The robot's core is made up of two nested hemispheres. The bottom one is essentially a soft belly and the top hemisphere is made of nine different layers of material which are ranging from highly flexible to fully rigid. The hardest layer is thousand times stiffer than the softest one. All these features allow the robot to become a jumping machine.
The mixing or blending of materials in this new robot was done by using 3D printing. The 3D printing creates items by layering materials such as rubber and plastic, just as ordinary printers lay down ink. The main application of this robot would be in space - the moon or Mars or other planets. One more practical application is search-and-rescue missions. In disasters like collapsed buildings, this soft robot could go where wheeled robot could not navigate.
Author : Syed Mohammed Ameen
Designation: Associate Blogger
Bio: I am a computer science engineer who believes that there is no substitute to hard work, I am a technology freak and currently a Blogger at Techies Net.
Bio: I am a computer science engineer who believes that there is no substitute to hard work, I am a technology freak and currently a Blogger at Techies Net.
