The devices are constructed entirely from soft plastic and powered by air pressure. Designed with four flexible legs, the palm-sized robots can be printed and then activated using a simple compressed air connection, allowing them to walk directly off the print bed.
Central to this innovation is the Flex Printer, a compact and affordable 3D printing system. Assembled from standard parts for under Pounds 400, the system is intended to be accessible to users with minimal experience. The research team reports that first-time users can build the system and begin producing soft robots within a few days.
Soft robotics-already promising in fields like space exploration, medicine, and hazardous environment operations-has struggled with high production costs and technical barriers. The Flex Printer addresses these issues by offering a standardized, low-cost manufacturing approach.
Designs for the Flex Printer and its soft robots have been released publicly to encourage widespread adoption and collaboration. The work was led by PhD students Maks Gepner and Jonah Mack, under the supervision of Professor Adam A. Stokes from the Institute for Bioengineering.
"It used to take years to figure out how to print using these materials. Using our new platform, anyone can now easily print things which were previously thought to be impossible. This is a game-changer for engineers and artists alike," said Gepner.
"Our hope is that this technology will help drive the next wave of research breakthroughs. Without the long-standing manufacturing and design bottlenecks holding it back, we believe soft robotics is ready to make a major real-world impact."
Research Report:A standardised platform for translational advances in fluidic soft systems
Related Links
University of Edinburgh
Space Technology News - Applications and Research
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