Due to their versatility of use, soft robots offer a lighter approach to automation, but until yesterday they suffered from excessive complexity in construction: today a research group at Harvard has found a way to simplify the process.
The team developed a soft robot driven by compressed air that does not require complex control systems. A single air pump inlet in the legs of the machine through pipes of different length, determining movements and behavior.
The robot under study is a "quadruped" with a simple cross shape: Its characteristics make it ideal in carrying out related tasks to missions space support, search and rescue. They will be able to cross uneven terrain without worrying too much about falling or breaking like "rigid" robots, and will be easily replaceable.
