NUS CDE researchers unlock dexterous soft-robot motion from a single artificial muscle - College of Design and Engineering
Taking inspiration from the octopus’s neural connections, NUS CDE researchers have developed a way to produce dexterous soft-robot motion from a single artificial muscle. An octopus can adeptly bend one part of an arm around an obstacle while another reaches into a small crevice to grab an object. Reproducing that local control in a soft robot requires multiple actuators — components that turn energy into movement — together with their mounting hardware and connections. Researchers at the College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS CDE), have taken a cue from the nerve connections that activate small regions along an octopus’s arms. Their method allows one continuous artificial muscle to contract from base to tip or only in selected regions, producing several controlled bends without the need for a separate actuator at each location. This approach could help compact robots reach inside machinery for inspection or assembly, or collect samples in places peopl