(Nanowerk Spotlight) Building robots that can effortlessly mimic the movements of insects on water has been a persistent challenge in robotics. The ability to move autonomously and efficiently in ...

Robots intended for complex natural environments face a familiar problem: rigid bodies and fixed-color surfaces make them ...

Korean researchers have developed an advanced soft robot, OCTOID, inspired by the multifunctional abilities of octopuses. Leveraging cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs), OCTOID combines ...

In a major advancement for untethered microsystems, researchers have developed soft microrobots that can change shape with temperature and wirelessly transmit their configuration. This capability ...

Ground robots often struggle with one recurring problem: every terrain demands a different movement strategy. Smooth surfaces favor wheels, rubble demands crawling, and narrow gaps require extreme ...

If a robot is going to excel at traversing multiple types of terrain, it shouldn't have an unadaptable "Jack of all trades, master of none" body shape. That's where the GOAT robot comes in, as it ...

Common push puppet toys in the shapes of animals and popular figures can move or collapse with the push of a button at the bottom of the toys' base. Now, a team of engineers has created a new class of ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) The next generation of robots may not look anything like the rigid, mechanical machines we’re used to. Instead, imagine a robot that moves more like an octopus or a human hand, ...

Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a ...

Like new and protective parents, engineers watched as the TETWalker robot successfully traveled across the floor at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Robots of this type will ...