he 67-mm-long (2.6-in) demonstrator robot, with a paper clip for scaleThe University of EdinburghSoft-bodied robots offer tremendous potential, but they’re often limited to small-scale, experimental production. A group of researchers from Scotland aims to change that by introducing a 3D-printed soft robot that is fabricated in a single, continuous process—and remarkably, walks off the...
Yichen Zhai and his six-legged creationDavid Baillot/University of California San DiegoWhile most people imagine robots as complex electronic devices, made up of several parts that need to be assembled in factories, a new experimental non-electronic robot has been designed to be 3D-printed in one single piece and is powered entirely by air.The soft-bodied robot...
This fuel cell features two different types of fungi metabolizing sugars and microbes to produce electricityEMPASwiss researchers have developed a functional living battery powered by the interaction of two types of fungi, encapsulated in a biodegradable and non-toxic 3D-printed package. The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA), based in Dübendorf, developed...
