Soft, pneumatic actuators can provide high response rates and power to input ratios, but creating them can be tedious.

This quadruped developed at UCSD relies on a series of valves that open and close in a specific sequence to walk.

Northwestern University researchers have developed lifelike soft materials that could be used as microscopic delivery systems for production of fuels and drugs, environmental cleanup, or transformative medical procedures.

A team of Michigan State University researchers has built flexible hybrid pneumatic actuator, which could enable safer human-machine interaction with safer robot end effectors.

A new smart fabric that can be inflated and deflated by temperature-dependent liquid-vapor phase changes could enable a new range of mechanotherapeutic and industrial applications.

The Engine has invested in RISE Robotics, which is developing electric and mechanical systems to displace hydraulics and reduce energy consumption.

Robotic piece picking requires the right end effectors for the items being picked, properly trained machine vision, and interfaces with other systems, notes XYZ Robotics CTO Peter Yu.

Chinese researchers recently demonstrated a robotic gripper mechanism that mimics how a sea anemone catches its prey. The bionic torus captures and releases objects by crimping its skin.

Soft Robotics has made its pneumatic grippers portable with the new coDrive technology, enabling a range of collaborative robotics applications.

Researchers in Singapore and China have proposed a process flow to guide 3D printing of miniature soft pneumatic actuators. Robots with integrated prints could have applications in jet-engine maintenance and minimally invasive surgery.

Air Hydro Power, which already sells and supports collaborative robots from Universal Robots, is now also a certified UR training center.

A new ultra-soft underwater gripper developed at Harvard’s Wyss Institute safely catches and releases jellyfish without damage.

Soft robots have a distinct advantage over their rigid forebears: they can adapt to complex environments, handle fragile objects and interact safely with humans. Made from silicone, rubber or other stretchable polymers, they are ideal for use in rehabilitation exoskeletons and robotic clothing. Soft bio-inspired robots could one day be deployed to explore remote or…

PHD has released a new jaw-travel option for its GRR grippers, offered the Pneu-Connect X2 with dual grippers, and announced seventh-axis transition plates for its Series ESU and UR cobots.

The piSOFTGRIP from Piab is vacuum-controlled, comes with a stainless-steel fitting, and is made of food-grade silicone.

A Canadian researcher has developed soft robotic fingers that use 3D printing to “tune” the rigidity of the fingers to make them both strong and sensitive.

Harvard graduate Hansjörg Wyss has given another major donation to support the Wyss Institute’s mission of developing and commercializing robotics and healthcare technologies.

Researchers from Moog and IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia recently completed the design, assembly and testing of the new version of the hydraulic HyQReal quadruped robot. Its capabilities were demonstrated by pulling an 3,300-kg (7,275 lb) airplane for more than 10 m (394 in). The compact HyQReal is just 1.33 m (52 in.) long, and stands…

Bimba has added the Bimba Pneumatic Gripper System to its robotic gripper portfolio. The BPGS could be useful for automotive, sheet metal fabrication, thermoforming, and more industrial applications.

Bimba’s PA Series has features intended to make it easier to install, easier to use, and more durable than other pneumatic actuators.

The Hank robot from Cambridge Consultants combines a soft grip with sensors to approach the dexterity of the human hand, which has been a “grand challenge” for the warehouse and agriculture industries.

PHD Inc. and YRG Inc. will be exhibiting at Automate 2019. Automate takes place April 8-11, 2019, at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. Please visit us in Booth 7320. In addition to its traditional pneumatic, hydraulic, and electric actuators designed for industrial automation, PHD will show both the UR5e and the UR5 from Universal…