Soft robotic fish swims alongside real ones in coral reefs
Made of silicone rubber, CSAIL’s “SoFi” could enable a closer study of aquatic life.
Engineers identify key to albatross’ marathon flight
Flying in shallow arcs helps birds stay aloft with less effort.
“Superhero” robot wears different outfits for different tasks
Shape-shifting device from CSAIL can walk, roll, sail, and glide using recyclable exoskeletons.
Our hairy insides
Engineers predict how flowing fluid will bend tiny hairs that line blood vessels and intestines.
Armor plating with built-in transparent ceramic eyes
Tiny sea creatures feature transparent optical systems as tough as their shells.
Biomimetic non-reflective coating for solar cells wins MADMEC
Team wins $10,000 at annual competition for invention inspired by butterfly wings.
Engineered proteins stick like glue — even in water
New adhesives based on mussel proteins could be useful for naval or medical applications.
Squishy robots
Phase-changing material could allow even low-cost robots to switch between hard and soft states.
A blueprint for reversible wrinkling in composite materials
A new model gives scientists guidelines to develop ‘smart’ composite materials with wrinkled microstructures.
Researchers engineer light-activated skeletal muscle
Technique may enable robotic animals that move with the strength and flexibility of their living counterparts.
Soft autonomous robot inches along like an earthworm
Flexible design enables body-morphing capability.
A plane that lands like a bird
An innovative control system allows a foam glider to touch down on a perch or a wire like a pet parakeet.