The Soft Revolution: Designing the Next Generation of Robots

by Onome Ekeh / Futurezoo, 3 March 2022
“By choosing different materials for the body of the robot, we can achieve different properties. We can choose to make our machines out of biodegradable material. In fact we have shown the possibility of having small origami-shaped machines that can dissolve in water. And so when the robot has finished handling the task, it can just go in the recycling bin.”
– Daniela Rus
Picture: possessed-photography on unsplash
The idea of robots that dominates our cultural mindset runs the gamut from friendly, somewhat clunky, R2D2 /C3P0 approximations, to the apocalyptic T-800 Terminator / Skynet scenarios. Indeed, when we picture robots we often think of humanoids in metal casing. Thankfully the future is in the hands of those with a livelier, friendlier vision: meet Daniela Rus of MIT, and ETH’s own Robert Katzschmann, two robotics engineers at the forefront of pivoting away from the hard geometries of classical humanoid robots— into the infinite possibilities of actuated intelligences in “soft bodies”.

Daniela Rus, who was named one of the most influential women in AI by Forbes, is among her other assignments, Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT. She also heads the USA Air Force - MIT AI Accelerator program, and has served in the White House as a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology. Her research revolves around robotics and artificial intelligence, with a keen focus on developing the science and engineering of autonomy.

Robert Katzschmann, Assistant Professor of Robotics at ETH Zurich, graduated from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and earned his PHD in Mechanical Engineering from CSAIL (where he worked with Professor Rus). Before founding the Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich, he held positions at Amazon Robotics and Dexai Robotics. He works to push robot abilities into real-life applications by being more compliant and better adapted to their environment to solve challenging tasks.

Rus and Katzschmann’s fascinating conversation with ETH’s Head of Foresight, Chris Luebkeman, introduces us to the wonderfully mind-expanding world of soft robotics: Origami bots, animal kingdom inspiration, smart cells, food robots(!), modular self-reconfiguring units… Here are a few highlights:

Hard Geometries

60 years after the Unimate was introduced, Rus and Katzschmann are rethinking the “hard geometries” of classical robotics: “We want softer robots”. The issue with a steel machine is that it can harm humans, if it malfunctions. Bio-inspired machines would be the antidote, and also open up new possibilities in the realm. Katzschmann notes that if the “rigid body math” of hard bodied robots could be applied to soft-bodied more flexible robots, there could be a wider range of configurations, and thus more possibilities.

The Animal Kingdom

Up until now, robots and their functions have been based on the human form. Today the dexterity, flexibility, and intelligence of organic forms are providing new inspiration in the field. Consider the elephant trunk, for example, a system with perceptual qualities that can also bend, twist, has strength, and is responsive to its environment.

Let’s Ditch Mechanical Thinking

Katzschmann points out the perpetual turbulence of machines with their pumps and motors, to the extent that they present environmental hazard. In comparison, the natural environment pulsates - and he advocates for an adoption of new computation to actuate organic forms or processes. A new generation of machines that are responsive and engage with both built and natural environments.

3D Printer Acceleration

3D printers accelerated innovation in different fields, but even more so now in robotics, with the new ability to output with different materials. This has lead to a sort of democratisation of robotics and fabrication. It means more people will have more opportunity and access to explore the range of possibilities in the field.

Biodegradable Bots

Both Katzschmann and Rus are looking into new materials for building robots. Sustainable materials: wood, paper, glass, food… The future of robots is biodegradable! Rus is focused on creating bots that dissolve or disintegrate after completing their tasks (see her mini-surgeon origami bots!),and Katzschmann wants to build cradle-to-cradle robots that degrade sustainably.

Yes, Food Robots

What is the point of a food robot? Rus and her group are developing mini-surgeons that can be ingested as a pill. Once inside the body’s system, they build themselves up in origami-like fashion, and then using either an external or internal magnetic field, navigate to the site or organ of repair. Once done with their task, the bots dissolve themselves, and enter the body’s elimination system. This non-invasive surgery is just one idea made possible by fabricating organic bodies for robotic intelligences. Imagine if your lasagna could do more for you.

Fantasia

If this all sounds like magic, perhaps it’s because Professor Rus’ earliest impulse to enter the world of robotics and AI was the Disney movie, Fantasia - specifically the segment where Mickey Mouse is the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In this scenario, he casts a spell on a broom, and all the objects in the space become animated. What Rus and Katzschmann and various robotics labs around the globe are doing is to ground this vision, of an animated, intelligent, and responsive environment, in applicable science.

Full Body Haptic and Other Bot Fashion Ideas

It doesn’t stop at gastro-robotic applications. Rus envisions robot sweaters, comprised of computational fibres that track vitals, and act as ergonomic exoskeletons. Elastic sneakers that provide height and other superpowers for basketball games… Katzschmann speculates about “full body haptic” in VR/AR being enhanced by robotic skin or modules that provides sensory perception.

So many ideas, so little time—the entire hour brims with fascinating eye-opening concepts. Watch below:

About the author

A narrative conceptualist, Onome Ekeh was born and raised on both sides of the Atlantic, and is now based in Switzerland. Her work has appeared in literary, film, and technology journals in the U.S. and Europe. She is Creative Director of Futurezoo, a boutique digital agency, and is currently at work on a volume of speculative fiction.