Floating Mesh Robots Manipulate Objects on Demand

Jan-25-19 3D-printed robotic meshes controlled by magnets can float on liquids while grasping and manipulating small objects.

The soft mesh robots were created by a team from North Carolina State University using a silicon microbead ‘ink’ said to resemble toothpaste. The ‘homocomposite thixotropic paste’ was shaped into the mesh patterns using a 3D printer, and then cured to create the final, magnetically controlled flexible structures. By altering the shape of the meshes, the team was able to build structures that perform different functions, such as a grabber able to move a small ball or a flat sheet that deforms to contain and then release a droplet of water.

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[NEWATLAS.COM]
[NEWS.NCSU.EDU]

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