Soft robotics

Sarah Toy of The Wall Street Journal writes that CSAIL researchers have developed a soft robotic fish that can capture images and video of aquatic life. “The key here is that the robot is very quiet as it moves in the water and the undulating motion of the tail does not create too much water disturbance,” says Prof. Daniela Rus.

CSAIL researchers have developed a soft robotic fish that can unobtrusively observe marine wildlife, writes NPR’s Colin Dwyer. Known as SoFi, the robot is “more likely to get close to aquatic life acting naturally,” explains Dwyer, “which could mean its camera has a better chance at snapping some candid shots to pass on to marine biologists.”

A soft robotic fish created in CSAIL could be used to study marine life in the wild. “Using sound, divers can pilot the robot fish from almost 70 feet away,” writes Matt Simon for Wired. Future versions of the device, known as SoFi, “would use machine vision to lock onto individual fish and follow them around, all without raising suspicion.”

Research published in Science Robotics reveals the functionality and future potential of CSAIL’s “SoFi” robotic fish. “Scuba-diving humans don't exactly blend in, which can make it hard to watch some animals up-close,” writes Michael Greshko for National Geographic. “SoFi could act as marine biologists' unobtrusive eyes and ears.”

“SoFi”, a robotic fish operated by a hydraulic pump and created from pieces made by a 3-D printer in CSAIL, could be the key to discretely observing marine life, writes Deborah Netburn of The Los Angeles Times. “I hope we can begin to peek into the secret lives of underwater creatures," said CSAIL director Daniela Rus.

Using sound waves manipulated by a Super Nintendo controller, CSAIL’s “SoFi” robotic fish “may provide biologists a fish’s-eye view of animal interactions in changing marine ecosystems,” writes JoAnna Klein for The New York Times. SoFi is fairly inexpensive and hardly disturbs surrounding marine life, making it a promising solution for underwater observation.

Merrit Kennedy reports for NPR that MIT researchers have developed robotic artificial muscles that can lift 1,000 times their own weight. Prof. Daniela Rus explains that the technology could eventually be used to bring "soft strong mobility to people who are otherwise unable to move."

Writing for Fortune, Jamie Ducharme details how researchers from MIT and Harvard are one step closer to creating robots with superpowers, thanks to a new robotic artificial muscle they have developed. The new technology could be used, “in arenas ranging from medicine to architecture to space exploration,” Ducharme explains. 

HuffPost reporter Thomas Tamblyn writes that MIT and Harvard researchers have created a range of origami-inspired robotic muscles. “These ultra-flexible materials could be applied to everything from deep-sea robotics to creating tiny yet incredibly strong tools for performing surgery,” Tamblyn explains. 

Researchers from MIT and Harvard have developed a new origami-inspired artificial muscle that can lift up to a thousand times its own weight, reports Amina Khan for The Los Angeles Times. Khan explains that the robotic muscles, “offer a new way to give soft robots super-strength, which could be used everywhere from inside our bodies to outer space.”

In this WCVB segment, CSAIL postdocs Robert MacCurdy and Jeffrey Lipton explain their work developing a shock-absorbing material that could be used to help protect robots and smartphones, or in helmets. Liquid is used in the material to “absorb the energy and keep it inside,” Lipton explains.

Grace Williams reports for FOX News that CSAIL researchers are 3-D printing shock-absorbing skins to protect robots. “Dubbed the ‘programmable viscoelastic material’ (PVM) technique, MIT’s printing method gives objects the precise stiffness or elasticity they require,” writes Williams.

To develop safer, more durable robots, CSAIL researchers have developed a technique to 3-D print robots with shock-absorbing skins, reports Matt McFarland for CNN. McFarland explains that as the “‘bumpers’ aren't rigid, it's less dangerous for a robot to crash into something.”

Popular Science reporter Mary Beth Griggs writes that researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed a method to 3-D print robots with customized shock absorbers. The researchers hope that the “shock absorbing material could be used to create better shock absorbers for delivery drones, shock-resistant shoe soles, and even helmets.”

Washington Post reporter Matt McFarland writes that MIT researchers have developed a technique for printing solid and liquid materials at the same time, a development that could make producing robots faster and easier. Prof. Daniela Rus explains that the new process could make “a big difference in what kind of machines you can make.”