Electrohydraulic musculoskeletal robotic leg for agile, adaptive, yet energy-efficient locomotion Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2024-09-09 | Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and ETH Zurich have developed the first robotic leg powered by artificial electrohydraulic muscles that can automatically adapt to uneven terrain without complex sensors and controls. The system is more energy efficient than electric motors, enabling high jumps and fast movements.Learn more about "Electrohydraulic musculoskeletal robotic leg for agile, adaptive, yet energy-efficient locomotion" in Nature CommunicationsPaper: nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51568-3Article (English): https://is.mpg.de/en/news/artificial-muscles-propel-a-robotic-leg-to-walk-and-jumpArticle (Deutsch): https://is.mpg.de/de/news/artificial-muscles-propel-a-robotic-leg-to-walk-and-jumpVideo from MPI-IS: youtu.be/qafTt2LFDl8Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS: https://rm.is.mpg.de/Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich: https://srl.ethz.ch/
A robotic and virtual testing platform highlighting soft wearable devices for tremor suppression Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2025-03-06 | Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, the University of Tübingen and the University of Stuttgart under the Bionic Intelligence Stuttgart Tübingen (BITS) collaboration developed a biorobotic arm that mimics a patient's tremor. They showed that slim and lightweight high-speed electrohydraulic actuators effectively suppress human tremor.Learn more about this work in Device: [doi.org/10.1016/j.device.2025.100719]Video from MPI-IS: [youtu.be/PEvUAJde-cw]Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS: https://rm.is.mpg.de/
Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad-Bandwidth Haptic Cues Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2025-01-09 | Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems developed compact wearable devices that deliver rich, expressive, and pleasant tactile sensations, thus offering unprecedented control over the tactile sensations that can be transmitted to the user. The tactile sensations created by the device can communicate diverse sensations ranging from calming to exciting, such as stroking the skin, the feeling of a heartbeat, and engines turning on and off. Remarkably, users perceive almost all of the tactile cues they experience as pleasant and can identify diverse signals with near-perfect accuracy.Learn more about "Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad-Bandwidth Haptic Cues" in Advanced Science: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.202402461Music attribution:Music by Kyrylo Momot from Pixabay
Hexagonal electrohydraulic modules for rapidly reconfigurable high-speed robots Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2024-09-18 | The Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has developed high-speed robotic modules that snap together into reconfigurable robotic systems.Learn more about this work in Science Robotics at doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adl3546
A multifunctional soft robotic display with high-speed actuation, sensing, and control Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2023-07-31 | Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a shape display which integrates soft actuators and soft magnetic sensors for high-fidelity shape morphing. The display demonstrates a wide variety of applications and high performance compared to previous technologies.Learn more about "A multifunctional soft robotic display with high-speed actuation, sensing, and control" in Nature Communications: nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39842-2Robotic Materials Department: https://rm.is.mpg.de/
A Versatile Jellyfish-like Robotic Platform for Effective Underwater Propulsion and Manipulation Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2023-04-12 | Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a robotic platform inspired by jellyfish motion for gentle interactions with underwater organisms. The device could advance exploration of special underwater environments.Learn more about "A Versatile Jellyfish-like Robotic Platform for Effective Underwater Propulsion and Manipulation" in Science Advances: science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg0292--------------------------------------------------------------------Music attributionMusic I use: BensoundLicense code: WIL5ARMAV3B1BDUL
Biodegradable electrohydraulic actuators for sustainable soft robots Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2023-03-20 | Scientists in the Robotic Materials Department in the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Department of Soft Matter Physics at the Johannes Kepler University, and Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder have collaborated to build the first fully biodegradable electrohydraulic artificial muscles - based on gelatin, oil, and bioplastics. The potential of this biodegradable technology is demonstrated by using these artificial muscles to animate a robotic gripper, which could be especially useful in single-use deployments such as for waste collection. At the end of life, these artificial muscles can be disposed of in municipal compost bins; under monitored conditions, they fully biodegrade within six months. Using biodegradable materials for building artificial muscles in this way is just one step towards paving a future for sustainable robotic technology. Learn more about "Biodegradable electrohydraulic actuators for sustainable soft robots" in Science Advances: DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adf5551Robotic Materials Department: https://rm.is.mpg.de/
A Soft, Fast and Versatile Electrohydraulic Gripper with Capacitive Object Size Detection Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2022-11-15 | The Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has developed a new class of multi-material electrohydraulic bending actuators which enable soft and reconfigurable grippers with embodied intelligence. They actuate rapidly and conform to their target, allowing for fast and damage-free gripping of irregular, deformable and fragile objects. Each bending actuator can simultaneously be used as a capacitive sensor, enabling real-time pick verification and object size detection.Learn more about "A Soft, Fast and Versatile Electrohydraulic Gripper with Capacitive Object Size Detection" in Advanced Functional Materials: doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202209080Robotic Materials Department: https://rm.is.mpg.de/
A Pocket-Sized Ten-Channel High Voltage Power Supply for Soft Electrostatic Actuators Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2022-05-10 | The Keplinger Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has developed a pocket-sized, 10-channel high voltage power supply to power Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic (HASEL) actuators. This battery-powered circuit can independently control each output channel and is about the size of a smart-phone, measuring 8.3 cm by 13.3 cm by 2 cm and weighing only 250 g. Learn more about the publication "A Pocket-Sized Ten-Channel High Voltage Power Supply for Soft Electrostatic Actuators" in Advanced Materials Technologies:doi.org/10.1002/admt.202101469Keplinger Research Group: http://www.keplingerresearchgroup.comRobotic Materials Department: https://is.mpg.de/news/electrohydraul...Commercializing HASEL technology through Artimus Robotics: artimusrobotics.com
Spider-inspired electrohydraulic soft-actuated SES joints Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2021-06-17 | The Keplinger Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Robotic Materials Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has developed an electrohydraulic joint which is inspired by the mechanics of spider legs. These joints can be used to drive bionispired articulated robots. Their leight weight enables robots to jump ten times their height.Learn more about the publication "Spider-Inspired Electrohydraulic Actuators for Fast, Soft-Actuated Joints" in Advanced Science:doi.org/10.1002/advs.202100916Keplinger Research Group: http://www.keplingerresearchgroup.comRobotic Materials Department: https://is.mpg.de/news/electrohydraulic-arachno-bot-a-fascinating-lightweightCommercializing HASEL technology through Artimus Robotics: artimusrobotics.com
High-strain Peano-HASEL actuators Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2019-12-20 | The Keplinger Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a type of muscle-mimetic actuator, termed high-strain Peano-HASEL, that achieves powerful and high-speed linear contraction greater than 20%. These devices can be used as a bio-inspired artificial circular muscle (ACM) that operates as a soft pump. Additionally, high-strain Peano-HASEL actuators can be paired with pulley systems to boost the actuation strain to over 40%. Learn more about the publication in Advanced Functional Materials: doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201908821Keplinger Research Group: http://www.keplingerresearchgroup.comCommercializing HASEL technology through Artimus Robotics: artimusrobotics.com
An easy to implement toolkit to create HASEL artificial muscles Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2019-07-09 | The Keplinger Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder has created an easy-to-implement toolkit to design, build, and power HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic) artificial muscles. This toolkit, consisting of only off-the-shelf materials, allows a wide audience of researchers, roboticists, and even hobbyists to explore and push the boundaries of this new technology. To showcase the capabilities of the toolkit, we created bio-inspired soft actuators including an artificial scorpion tail and an untethered continuum robot that mimics an elephant trunk.Learn more about the publication in Advanced Science: doi.org/10.1002/advs.201900178Keplinger Research Group: http://www.keplingerresearchgroup.comCommercializing HASEL technology through Artimus Robotics: artimusrobotics.com
HASEL actuators with muscle-like performance Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2018-01-04 | The Keplinger Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a new class of soft electrically activated artificial muscles, called HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic) actuators, which exceed or match the strength, speed, and efficiency of biological muscle. HASEL devices are powerful enough to lift a gallon of water, yet offer the versatility to perform delicate tasks like grasping small fruit or an egg. Also, HASEL can self-heal from electrical damage, self-sense position, and operate at high-speeds, all while being made from inexpensive materials like silicone rubber, hydrogel, and vegetable oil.Highlight video of HASEL technology: youtu.be/YGMyW6AESsQPublication in Science: doi.org/10.1126/science.aao6139Learn more about another design of HASEL, called Peano-HASEL: youtu.be/-TKjJBZEZe4Publication introducing Peano-HASELs in Science Robotics: doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aar3276Keplinger Research Group: http://www.keplingerresearchgroup.comCollege of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder: https://www.colorado.edu/engineering/Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder: https://www.colorado.edu/mechanical/ Video produced by Tim Morrissey: youtube.com/c/TimMorrissey
Peano-HASEL actuators that mimic natural muscle Robotic Materials Department at MPI-IS 2018-01-04 | The Keplinger Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed soft electrically powered artificial muscles which feature characteristics remarkably similar to those of natural muscle. These devices, termed Peano-HASEL (Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic) actuators, can generate powerful linear contraction, operate at high speeds, and demonstrate high optical transparency. Additionally, these soft devices can simultaneously function as actuators and sensors that are capable of precise and life-like movement while self-sensing their position. Peano-HASELs are constructed from inexpensive thin-film plastics, the same material chip bags are made from. Currently, actuators can be made in the lab for less than 10 cents per device, using industrially compatible fabrication methods. Highlight video of HASEL technology: youtu.be/YGMyW6AESsQPublication in Science Robotics: doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aar3276Learn more about how HASEL works: youtu.be/M4qcvTeN8k0Publication of fundamentals of HASEL in Science: doi.org/10.1126/science.aao6139Keplinger Research Group: http://www.keplingerresearchgroup.comCollege of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder: https://www.colorado.edu/engineering/Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder: https://www.colorado.edu/mechanical/ Video produced by Tim Morrissey: youtube.com/c/TimMorrissey
