Like Tendril Plants, The First Ever Soft Robot Can Curl And Climb By Itself

Researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia have designed the first ever soft robot which can curl and climb itself. Inspired by plant tendrils, the robot operates on the same principle as vines and other climbing plants.

The research team is led by Barbara Mazzolai, one of the 25 most influential women in robotics picked by RoboHub back in 2015. Mazzola is also known as a coordinator of "Plantoid" project in 2012, which is funded by the EU. The project is also the first to design and develop robots based on plants.

As per the institute:

To do that, the researchers applied "Osmosis," a principle to exploit the water transporting mechanism of plants. The next step, a mathematical model was used to measure the robot's exact size so that it can move smoothly.

To meet the demand of reversible movements, they decided to produce the robot with a small tendril-like shape by using a PET tube that is flexible and full of a liquid containing ions or electrically charging particles. Additionally, the robot is also powered by a 1.3 Volt battery.

According to the release:

In addition to the tendril-like soft robot, the researchers are now studying a new project called "GrowBot" in order to develop a robot that can easily adapt to the environment, manage its growth, as well as recognize the attaching surfaces. As a part of the FET Proactive program, this new related project is financed by the European Commission.