Octobot
Claimed to be the "first self-contained soft robot system whose components are all soft", Octobot was developed by researchers at Harvard University.
Features
Unlike a typical robot, Octobot is a soft, flexible, pneumatic robot powered by a chemical reaction, rather than electronics. When lines of platinum ink in the robot react to hydrogen peroxide, it results in a chemical decomposition which produces oxygen. The gas is distributed via a microfluidic controller to the Octobot's tentacles, to make them move.
Octobot can move for about 4-8 minutes until it needs to be refuelled again by a milliliter of hydrogen peroxide via a syringe.
Octobot is small enough to fit in your hand, and can move its tentacles, but isn't capable of moving across surfaces.
Trivia
- According to an article on technologyreview.com, three hundred attempts were made to create a functional unit.
- Octobot was initially supposed to be a spider, however, "the team wanted both swimming and crawling and it looked more like an octopus".
- A video by MIT mentions the next step for the robot would be to give it sensing and programming abilities. An article from newscientist.com mentions the sensors the team were hoping to add would be soft and fluidic, allowing the robot to react to its environment.
- Octobot was allowed to function in water, to help with removing exhausted fuel from the robot.
- The oxygen in Octobot allowed it to float on water briefly, and the team was interested in how they could utilize this feature to allow the robot to propel itself in water.
Gallery
For fun, ink used in Octobot could glow under black light.
Videos
Links
