The soft robot that's hard as nails: Squidgy device invented by Harvard scientists can withstand fire, freezing temperatures and acid attacks... and still crawl away
- A group of scientists led by Michael Tolley presented a robot without rigid components that can handle open flames and subzero temperatures
- The project was funded partly by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense
- In action, the robot resembles a dying person crawling on its hands and knees
Now there's a 'squishy' robot that can be frozen, lit on fire and crushed by a car, and still wriggle away.
Researchers at Harvard University led by Michael Tolley presented a robot last month that can withstand extreme environments because its body lacks the rigid parts that hinder traditional robotics.
The project was partially funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, a branch of the Department of Defense that finances technology projects for civilian and military purposes.
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Indestructible: Harvard researchers crushed their robot, lit it on fire and subjected it to subzero temperatures, and it still kept crawling
The soft robot in action resembles a dying person crawling on its hands and knees and New Scientist showed a video of it being run over by a car, walking over an open flame and pulling itself through the snow.
The new design from Harvard also improves on earlier soft robot designs with a larger size and the ability to move without being 'tethered' to an air compressor, meaning it can operate outside the lab.
The silicone rubber body can withstand subzero temperatures, outlasting Winter Storm Nemo in testing in 2013, when temperatures dropped below -15 degrees Fahrenheit and winds blew almost 25 miles per hour.
The prototype still has some rigid components that make the final design weaker.
The air compressors that inflate and deflate the robot to make it move, as well as a battery pack that provides several hours of energy are exposed on the top.
The authors state that the next step is to move these components inside the rubber body to protect them. Some day it may be possible to replace these rigid components with soft ones.
Living color: Fluorescent-colored liquid is pumped into one 'soft' robot, showing the channels imprinted in the soft silicone rubber
Under the skin: Colored liquid can be pumped in an out of channels, allowing the robot to be camouflaged in different environments
Soft robots are not a new concept. One of the first soft robots able to walk and crawl debuted in
2011 and came from the same research lab as the one developed by Tolley.
A later model could be camouflaged against its surroundings by pumping colored liquid through its body.
In addition to military use, researchers envision soft robotics being used in more advanced prosthetic limbs and assisting in surgery.
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