A group of researchers from Harvard and Cornell have worked together to come up with an amazing new “soft” robot which would definitely bring back memories of a certain Gumby character, save for the fact that this particular squishy robot does not arrive with a head. In addition, it is capable of operating in real world conditions outside of the laboratory without missing a beat. What makes it the most impressive would be the advancements made in the soft robotics field, where this “Headless Gumby”, as it has been referenced to, happens to be the first successful attempt at rolling out a free-ranging soft robot away from the safe confines of a lab.
To function sans an external power source, this soft robot’s weight is kept to a minimum, where it has to take into consideration its structure and functioning systems, all the while supporting its own weight and moving around simultaneously. Making use of highly miniaturized and extremely efficient components, a silicone-based body will see action.
This silicone is special since it incorporates hollow glass microspheres into the material, resulting in a weight savings of 40%, and this allows it to continue working even if it was supposed to have become “roadkill” after being run over by an SUV. How cool is that?
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