The robots are less than a millimeter thick, and can be bent into a variety of shapes, including a claw.A team of researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a novel kind of soft-bodied robot that can be 3D-printed. The robots operate like soft hydraulic actuators and are less than a millimeter thick.
He added that their approach utilizes commercially available multi-material 3D printing technologies and shape memory polymers to create microscale soft actuators, enabling them to control very small soft robots with exceptional control and delicacy.The new technique involves creating soft robots with two layers. The first layer is a flexible polymer made using 3D printing and contains microfluidic channels – tiny tubes within the material.
If users want to return the soft robot to its original shape, they simply apply the heat again after pumping out the liquid, and the robot relaxes to its original configuration.