Flex Printer builds walking soft robots without electronics

According to the team, the flexible, four-legged devices could lead to the use of intelligent soft robotic systems with no electronic parts.

Soft machines are made from compliant materials and have potential for use in nuclear decommissioning, the biomedical sector and in space. So far, a lack of standardised design and manufacturing processes, expense and the need for specialist expertise has limited real-world use of the devices.

The Edinburgh University team sought to overcome these challenges by developing Flex Printer, which can be assembled for under £400 using off-the-shelf parts. 

The team demonstrated the capabilities of their new system by creating robots made from a soft plastic material and powered by air pressure. 

Once printed, the palm-sized devices are connected to a compressed air supply before walking out of the machine on which they were made. 

Building and operating the Flex Printer is said to require little prior knowledge, with first-time users able to assemble it and begin making robots in a few days.