Researchers at The Faboratory at Yale University have made significant advances in the design of soft robots, drawing inspiration from complex behaviors observed in nature, such as the self-amputation of limbs in certain reptiles and the ability of ants to form structures by connecting their bodies.
These abilities have been replicated in robots that can separate or fuse parts of their bodies in response to challenging environmental conditions.
Testing of autonomous attachment and detachment on soft robots.
A recent video demonstration shows one of these robots, designed with quadrupedal mobility and made of flexible materials, successfully freeing itself from one of its hind limbs after becoming trapped under a rock. This process is facilitated by an electrically heated joint, allowing the separation and subsequent reconnection of the limb to the main body of the robot.
Soft quadruped robot performs self-amputation. Source: Yale University Faboratory.
On the other hand, in another instance documented by video, it can be seen how the collaboration between multiple units of these robots makes it possible to overcome obstacles that would be insurmountable individually. Three robots managed to join together using a similar mechanism, crossing together a space separating two tables, demonstrating the functionality of their design in team tasks.
Group of quadruped robots merge with each other and cross a gap smoothly. Source: Yale University Faboratory
Robotic design with new materials
As published in the journal Advanced Materials, this technology uses bonds made of a bicontinuous thermoplastic foam and a polymer that facilitates both the temporary fusion and fixation of the parts. These innovative materials are crucial to the robots’ self-amputation and fusion capabilities, offering a more adaptable and less rigid method compared to previous modular robotic systems that relied on mechanical or magnetic connections.
Finally, the developers of the project, who have named their study “Self-computing and interoperating machines“, argue that these techniques could revolutionize the design of future robots, allowing them to change radically through autotomy and inter-fusion, thus adapting to a variety of environments and functions.
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Source and photo: techcrunch
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