The future of soft robots depend on materials that conduct electricity, sense damage, self-heal
5 years, 4 months ago

The future of soft robots depend on materials that conduct electricity, sense damage, self-heal

Firstpost  

The concept of embodied intelligence describes a system of materials that are interconnected, like tendons in the knee. It’s also possible to think of embodied intelligence in a single material – one that can sense, process and respond to its environment without embedded electronic devices like sensors and processing units. Since engineered materials of the future that are suitable for human-machine interaction will require multifunctionality, researchers have tried to build new levels of embodied intelligence – beyond just stretching – into materials like rubber. The combination of liquid metal and rubber gave the material a new route to sense and process its environment – that is, a new form of embodied intelligence. But unlike T-1000 these new materials aren’t a force for evil – they’re paving the way for soft assistive devices like prosthetics, companion robots, remote exploration technologies, antennas that can change shape and plenty more applications that engineers haven’t even dreamed up yet.

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History of this topic

Smart foam gives robots sense of touch and ability to self-repair
3 years, 8 months ago

Smart foam gives robots sense of touch and ability to self-repair

The Hindu  

While robots are getting smarter with the advancement in technology, they cannot still touch and feel their surroundings like human beings. A new material invented by researchers dubbed artificially innervated foam, or AiFoam, enables robots to mimic the human sense of touch, sense nearby objects without actually touching, and repair when damaged. Smart foam, with the ability to perform these …

Nerve-like mesh could give robots a sense of touch
5 years, 6 months ago

Nerve-like mesh could give robots a sense of touch

Daily Mail  

A synthetic mesh could give robots a sense of touch that is delicate as the skin on out backs, researchers have claimed. The material forms a linked sensory network similar to that of a biological nervous system — one that could help robots feel their interactions with the environment. Scroll down for video A synthetic mesh could give robots a …

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