Researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's Soft Machines Lab have developed a silver-hydrogel composite that has high electrical conductivity and is capable of delivering direct current while maintaining soft compliance and deformability.
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IMAGE: Power transmitted through the conductive silver-hydrogel composite actuated the shape-memory alloy muscle of this stingray-inspired soft swimmer. view more
Credit: Soft Machines Lab, College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
In the field of robotics, metals offer advantages like strength, durability, and electrical conductivity. But, they are heavy and rigid properties that are undesirable in soft and flexible systems for wearable computing and human-machine interfaces.
Hydrogels, on the other hand, are lightweight, stretchable, and biocompatible, making them excellent materials for contact lenses and tissue engineering scaffolding. They are, however, poor at conducting electricity, which is needed for digital circuits and bioelectronics applications.
Presented by Dr. Gina Olson, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Soft Machines Lab, Carnegie Mellon University
Soft robots use geometric and material deformation to absorb impacts, mimic natural motions, mechanically adapt to motion or unevenness and to store and reuse energy. Soft robots, by virtue of these traits, offer potential for robots that grasp robustly, adapt to unstructured environments and work safely alongside, or are even worn by, humans. However, compliance breaks many of the assumptions underpinning traditional approaches to robot design, dynamics, control, sensing and planning, and new or modified approaches are required. During this talk, I will introduce the concept of soft robots as soft structures, with capabilities and behaviors derived from the type and organization of their active and passive elements. I will present my current and prior work on the development and analysis of soft robotic structures, with a particular focus on the mechanics of soft arms. I will