When we hear the word “robot” we immediately think of a hunk of metal. I just recently watched the movie TAU, a Netflix original that portrayed the future of robots as giant, killer machines. But that portrayal might not be the future at all. There’s a field called “soft robotics” that aims to make robots out of thin and flexible materials to help with things other than heavy lifting.
The main materials used are polyester, fabric, and rubber, making the exterior of the machine a soft plush that can mold and bend in different ways as compared to other, more rigid exoskeletons. These robots are also completely motor-less. Instead, they use hydraulics (water-based movement) or pneumatics (gas-based movement) to push themselves around thanks to a small lithium ion battery.
So what is the goal of soft robotics? The big two industries looking for development in these areas include the health and medical industry and the marine biology industry. Soft and pliable robots would aid in diagnosing and identifying as well as repairing issues within the human body on a near microscopic level. Meanwhile, marine biologists are developing soft, fish-like robots that navigate beneath the water’s surface to scan, monitor, and map the ocean floor as well as produce new ways to clean the ocean of pollution and waste.
