{"id":341445,"date":"2017-05-19T23:41:37","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T15:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1493414"},"modified":"2017-05-19T23:41:37","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T15:41:37","slug":"3d-printing-soft-legs-can-help-a-robot-walk-across-rough-and-rocky-terrain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/3d-printing-soft-legs-can-help-a-robot-walk-across-rough-and-rocky-terrain\/","title":{"rendered":"3D printing soft legs can help a robot walk across rough and rocky terrain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/33856631164_8b8abef6b5_k.jpg?w=738\" class=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\">A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego have applied the biologically-inspired principles of soft robotics in order to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/jacobsschool.ucsd.edu\/news\/news_releases\/release.sfe?id=2211\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">develop a robot<\/a> capable of navigating uneven terrain like rocks and sand.<\/p>\n<p>The soft and pliable materials mean the robot\u2019s four legs are capable of conforming to their surrounds, so its\u00a0on-board sensors don\u2019t need a precise picture of the ground in traverse it. If the system encounters an uneven spot, it can simply adapt its gait.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LdBLkM0ZmEw?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The robot\u2019s four legs are a combination of hard and soft printed parts, relying on a bladder-based system of expanding and contracting rubber chambers that propel its movement. It\u2019s a system that\u2019s similar to soft robotics projects, before it, including, a number of machines developed\u00a0by\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/gmwgroup.harvard.edu\/research\/index.php?page=23\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">George Whitesides\u2019 robotics lab in Harvard<\/a>, which has helped pioneer robots inspired by sea creatures like octopi and squid.<\/p>\n<p>UCSD assistant professor Mike Tolley, who headed up the new research, is a veteran of that Harvard lab, having worked on one of its more notable projects, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2014\/09\/140911180756.htm\">an untethered X-shaped robot<\/a> capable of squeezing into tight spaces, thanks to its almost entirely soft body.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1493419\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/giphy.gif?w=480&amp;h=270\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe did demonstrate some walking, but [calling it] \u2018walking\u2019 was generous in that it just really shuffled along,\u201d Tolley told TechCrunch during a conversation this week. \u201cIt could essentially only move in one direction when actuated. That allowed us to come up with some interested gaits. We did an undulating gait that looked sort of like a worm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hNYt5JUfrDw?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>That research has already led to some interesting real world applications, including the industrial grippers <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2017\/04\/01\/soft-robotics-grippers\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">designed by Soft Robotics<\/a>, whose octopus-inspired hand can pick up a wide variety of shapes and sizes without precise robotic vision.\u00a0Legs are, of course, a different beast altogether \u2013 as is designing a pair that can actually lift up and move around, rather than just sort of undulating their way across a surface.<\/p>\n<p>The team maintained a similar pressure-based air bladder system as the Harvard robot, but added a few piece to the puzzle to develop a more sophisticated set of legs \u2013 along with some harder structural pieces.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1493420\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/giphy-1.gif?w=480&amp;h=270\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore, we had these channels that we were inflating to make the legs bend one way,\u201d said Tolley. \u201cBut to do what I wanted to do, we would have to make the legs bend around different axes. We couldn\u2019t do it with the simple layered molding techniques we did before. We actually had to come up with a way of repeatably and rapidly making more complex 3D printed bladders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new system features a trio of 3D printed bladders placed side by side. Inflating different combinations that allow for a much fuller control of the robot\u2019s movement. \u201cThey\u2019re connected in such a way that when you inflate one, you get bending in one direction,\u201d Tolley added. \u201cIf you bend another or do some combination of them, you can actual control a full 360-degrees of bending angles.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"453\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/33856631164_8b8abef6b5_k.jpg?w=680\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/33856631164_8b8abef6b5_k.jpg?w=680 680w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/33856631164_8b8abef6b5_k.jpg?w=1360 1360w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/33856631164_8b8abef6b5_k.jpg?w=150 150w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/33856631164_8b8abef6b5_k.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/33856631164_8b8abef6b5_k.jpg?w=768 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/>&nbsp;A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego have applied the biologically-inspired principles of soft robotics in order to develop a robot capable of navigating uneven terrain like rocks and sand. The soft and pliable materials mean the robot&#8217;s four legs are capable of conforming to their surrounds, so its\u00a0on-board sensors don&#8217;t need a precise picture of the&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2017\/05\/19\/3d-printing-soft-legs-can-help-a-robot-walk-across-rough-and-rocky-terrain\/?ncid=rss\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:2mJPEYqXBVI\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=2mJPEYqXBVI\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:7Q72WNTAKBA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=7Q72WNTAKBA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:-BTjWOF_DHI\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?i=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:-BTjWOF_DHI\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:D7DqB2pKExk\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?i=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:D7DqB2pKExk\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=GwSNdzg3nQU:kbmXl0h_hEU:qj6IDK7rITs\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=qj6IDK7rITs\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/Techcrunch\/~4\/GwSNdzg3nQU\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"\/> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5817,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[59,66,26],"class_list":["post-341445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-media","tag-techcrunch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5817"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341445\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}