Soft robots can be manufactured in a way that reduces waste and increases performance.
Soft robots are more flexible and can fit into small spaces. They also have inherent safety advantages. Textiles are a popular choice for soft robots. This is especially true of wearables. However, the traditional \”cut-and-sew\” manufacturing methods have been criticized.
Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a new method for additively producing soft robotics. They use a 3D knitting technique that allows them to \”print\” soft robots in their entirety. The work was published in Advanced Functional Materials.
Robert Wood, the Harry Lewis and Marlyn McGrath Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences and senior corresponding author of the paper, says that the soft robotics community has yet to find alternative materials which will allow us to move beyond the more rigid robot shapes and function.
Source:
https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-additively-soft-robots.html
