When it comes to
soft robots, researchers have finally managed to cut the cord. Developers from
Harvard's School for Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute
for Biologically Inspired Engineering have produced the first untethered soft
robot -- a quadruped that can stand up and walk away from its designers.
A team of
researchers was able to scale up earlier soft-robot designs, enabling a single
robot to carry on its back all the equipment it needs to operate (micro-compressors,
control systems and batteries). Compared with earlier soft robots, the system is
huge measuring more than a half-meter in length and capable of carrying as much
as 7½ pounds on its back.
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