3D-Printed Robot

The octopus is a fascinating creature, known as escape artists of the sea, capable of squeezing themselves into just about any space. Harvard researchers managed to create Octobot, the world’s first completely soft-bodied robot, with a silicone exterior. Instead of batteries or wires, it uses a small reservoir of hydrogen peroxide as fuel. When this chemical washes over the flecks of platinum embedded within the robot, it results in a chemical reaction that produces gas to inflate and flex its arms. Continue reading for another video and more information.

“The gas flows through a series of 3D-printed pneumatic chambers that link the octobot’s eight arms; their flexing propels it through water. Over the course of their project, the team created hundreds of trial octobots, meticulously tweaking the pneumatics until the timing was just right. Right now, the octobot’s fuel lasts between 4 and 8 minutes, and it can’t steer in any particular direction. The researchers are now working to add sensors to the robot, which would allow it to detect objects in its environment and navigate toward or away from them,” according to Science Mag.

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