An international team of researchers has embedded gold nanorods in hydrogels that can be processed through 3D printing to create structures that contract when exposed to light -- and expand again when ...

Pneumatic actuators offer interesting perspectives in applications like soft robotics and interaction design. [Aidan Leitch] makes his own pneumatic actuators from silicone rubber. His actuators ...

SUTD, SUSTech and ZJU researchers' proposed process flow guides 3D printing of miniature soft pneumatic actuators. Integrating the prints into a robotic system offers potential applications in ...

Swedish researchers have developed a breakthrough 3D printing method to create soft actuators. These dielectric elastic actuators (DEA) are made from silicone-based materials, combining conductive ...

However, there are far more potential applications for soft actuators. They are light, noiseless and, thanks to the new 3D printing process, can be shaped as required. They could replace conventional ...

Traditional robotic systems with rigid parts often pose a threat to human operators. Recently flourishing soft actuators and robots, in contrast, offer excellent adaptivity to surroundings and safe, ...

Motors are all well and good for moving things, but they’re all about the round-and-round. Sometimes, you need to move something back and forth, and for that a linear actuator will do the trick. While ...

While there are many potential uses for soft-bodied robots, the things are still typically only built in small experimental batches. Scottish scientists are out to change that, with a ...

Researchers have designed and fabricated a fast-response, stiffness tunable (FRST) soft actuator which is able to complete a softening-stiffening cycle within 32 seconds. Traditional robotic systems ...