X-shaped, tiny, soft robot can manipulate and move objects ranging from tofu to nuts and bolts

A team of roboticists and engineers affiliated with several institutions in South Korea, working with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, has developed a tiny soft robot that is capable of manipulating multiple types of hard and soft objects. Their results are published in the journal Science Advances.

The researchers designed and developed a multi-use robot capable of working in extreme conditions. Noting that many tiny robots have difficulty moving around in jellied or mucus-type environments, they developed one that is able to work in such surroundings with ease using magnets.

The robot resembles two Band-Aids, one placed over the other to create an X. The center serves as a manipulator and the legs help with locomotion. The robot was made starting with a base of a composite polymer created by mixing a PDMS matrix with NdFeB particle fillers. The resulting mix was formed into an X shape using both a cast and a 3D printer.

The legs were given octopus-type suction grippers. The resulting robot was controlled using a magnetic field. Notably, the particles embedded in the legs are also magnetic, giving the robot a secondary means for adhering to a target. The researchers note their robot was inspired by the velvet worm—a small, segmented worm with an underside covered by tiny appendages that it uses to manipulate or stick to objects.

Testing showed the robot capable of adhering to a wide variety of targets, whether they were wet, oily, gooey or dry. It can manipulate or move multiple types of objects, including tissue and metal. It is also capable of manipulating tofu samples, fish flesh, fish eggs and fish organs. It could screw a nut onto a bolt and take it off again, and in an impressive test, they showed it capable of assisting in removing a cancerous tumor from the back of a live mouse.

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