Scientists develop a speed-type "cheetah" soft robot that can run on water

Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, scientists at North Carolina State University have developed the fastest soft robot yet, capable of moving faster on concrete or in water than previous generations of soft robots.

What's more, it can delicately grasp objects or be strong enough to lift heavy objects. The robot is 7 centimeters long and weighs 45 grams. It has a spring-driven "bistable" spine. This means it has two stable states.

"We can quickly switch between these stable states by pumping air into the tubes of this soft silicone robot," said Jie Yin, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. "Switching between these two states releases a lot of energy, allowing the robot to quickly apply force to the ground. This allows the robot to gallop on the surface of the water, meaning its feet leave the ground."

Image source: Science

"Previous soft robots were crawling robots that maintained contact with the ground at all times. This limited their speed. This new class of soft robots, called Exploiting Elastic Instabilities for Enhanced Performance (LEAP), can reach speeds of up to 2.7 body lengths per second at low excitation frequencies of around 3 Hz. These new robots can also run on steep slopes, which is challenging or even impossible for soft robots that exert less force on the ground."

"We also demonstrated the collaborative work of several soft robots, such as grasping objects with grippers," Yin said. "By adjusting the force applied by the robots, we were able to lift objects as delicate as an egg and as heavy as 10 kilograms."

"Potential applications include search and rescue technology and industrial manufacturing robotics, where speed is critical," Yin said. Imagine a scenario where robots on a production line would be faster but still able to handle fragile items.