See what this squishy octopus-inspired robot can do

The latest revolutionary robot isn’t the metallic, costly machine you’d expect: It’s squishy like Silly Putty, wireless, battery-less and made for pennies by a 3D printer.

Meet Octobot. It looks like a tiny octopus and is designed to mimic that slithery creature to get through cracks and tight places, making it ideal as a rescue robot.

A team at Harvard University has created a robot - actually about 300 of them, since they are so cheap to make - that is opposite of the common view of a robot. Soft, not hard. Flexibl,e not rigid. It’s not mechanical, nor electrical. It’s powered by fluids. The discovery is described, photographed and shown on video in the scientific journal Nature.  Cont'd...

Featured Product

3MP HDR IP69K Camera for Robotics & Autonomous Vehicles

3MP HDR IP69K Camera for Robotics & Autonomous Vehicles

STURDeCAM31 from e-con Systems® is designed to make robotics and autonomous vehicles safer and more reliable. Powered by the Sony® ISX031 sensor and featuring GMSL2 interface, this compact 3MP camera delivers 120dB HDR + LFM imaging with zero motion blur — even in the most challenging outdoor conditions. Engineered to automotive-grade standards, STURDeCAM31 is IP69K certified, making it resistant to dust, water, vibration, and extreme temperatures. With support for up to 8 synchronized cameras, it enables powerful surround-view and bird's eye systems on NVIDIA® Jetson AGX Orin™.