First of its kind robot is inspired by nature, capable of
multiple jumps
(July 9, 2015) Engineers
at Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego, have created
the first robot with a 3D-printed body that transitions from a rigid core to a
soft exterior. The robot is capable of more than 30 untethered jumps and is
powered by a mix of butane and oxygen. Researchers describe the robot’s design,
manufacturing and testing in the July 10 issue of Science magazine.
“We believe that bringing together soft and rigid materials
will help create a new generation of fast, agile robots that are more robust
and adaptable than their predecessors and can safely work side by side with
humans,” said Michael Tolley, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering
at UC San Diego, and one of the paper’s co-lead authors with Nicholas Bartlett,
a Ph.D. student in the Microrobotics Laboratory at Harvard, where the bulk of
the work took place. Bartlett and Tolley designed, manufactured and tested the
robot.
The idea of blending soft and hard materials into the
robot’s body came from nature, Tolley said. For example, certain species of
mussels have a foot that starts out soft and then becomes rigid at the point
where it makes contact with rocks. “In nature, complexity has a very low cost,”
Tolley said. “Using new manufacturing techniques like 3D printing, we’re trying
to translate this to robotics.”