Thanks to 'Flexoskeletons,' These Insect-Inspired Robots Are Faster and Cheaper to Make (VIDEO)

University of California - San Diego

Caption

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new method that doesn't require any special equipment and works in just minutes to create soft, flexible, 3D-printed robots. The innovation comes from rethinking the way soft robots are built: instead of figuring out how to add soft materials to a rigid robot body, the UC San Diego researchers started with a soft body and added rigid features to key components. The structures were inspired by insect exoskeletons, which have both soft and rigid parts--the researchers called their creations "flexoskeletons."

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Gravish Lab/University of California San Diego

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