Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering developed a soft exoskeleton to help a person with Parkinson’s walk without freezing.
Harvard researchers create soft, tentacle-like robot gripper
Researchers at Harvard have created a tentacle-like gripper that can grasp irregularly shaped or soft objects without damaging them.
Soft exosuit automatically adapts to walking needs
The bioinspired system uses ultrasound measurements of muscle dynamics to develop a personalized and activity-specific assistance profile for users of the exosuit.
Wearable robots are ready to leave the lab, says Harvard researcher Conor Walsh
In his RoboBusiness Direct session, recognized Harvard University professor Conor Walsh will examine how his team or researchers have developed soft, wearable robotics for industrial use.
Robotic textiles developed at Wyss Institute could enable mechanotherapies
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.
RoboBee becomes more resilient with soft muscles
Harvard University researchers have found a way to make soft actuators powerful enough to enable a RoboBee to fly and collide.
3D printed organs get SWIFT vascularized building blocks at Wyss Institute
Sacrificial ink-writing technique developed at Harvard allows 3D printed organs to include large, vascularized building blocks.
Jellyfish unharmed by new soft robotic underwater gripper
A new ultra-soft underwater gripper developed at Harvard’s Wyss Institute safely catches and releases jellyfish without damage.
Exosuit successfully makes the transition from walking to running
Harvard and University of Nebraska Omaha researchers have developed a lightweight exosuit that assists both walking and running, highlighting the potential for wearable robots outside the lab.
Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering receives $131M gift from founder
Harvard graduate Hansjörg Wyss has given another major donation to support the Wyss Institute’s mission of developing and commercializing robotics and healthcare technologies.
Robotic catheter brings autonomous navigation into human body
Boston researchers recently demonstrated a robotic catheter that could autonomously navigate through the body to repair a cardiac valve.
Snake-inspired robot uses kirigami for swifter slithering
A new programmable metamaterial using kirigami, the Japanese art of paper folding, can more efficiently change its shape to crawl, said Harvard researchers.
Reconfigurable soft actuator quickly transforms to multiple shapes
Mechanical systems, such as engines and motors, rely on two principal types of motions of stiff components: linear motion, which involves an object moving from one point to another in a straight line; and rotational motion, which involves an object rotating on an axis. Nature has developed far more sophisticated forms of movement — or…
Soft exosuit with multiple joints tunes itself to individual users
In the future, a smart textile-based soft exosuit could be worn by soldiers, fire fighters and rescue workers to help them traverse difficult terrain and arrive fresh at their destinations so that they can perform their respective tasks more effectively. They could also become a powerful means to enhance mobility and quality of living…
Meet the Robotics Summit Keynotes
WTWH Media and The Robot Report has announced the keynote lineup for the inaugural Robotics Summit & Showcase taking place May 23-24, 2018 at the Westin Waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts. The Robotics Summit & Showcase focuses the technical issues involved with the design, development, manufacture and delivery of commercial robotics and intelligent systems products and…
WATCH: Harvard researchers develop origami robot controlled by magnetic field
An origami-inspired folding robot developed by Harvard researchers uses an external magnetic field for power, giving it potential for application in medical, industrial or consumer robots. Originally reported in Science Robotics and created by a team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the arm consists…
Soft, water-powered robot makes endoscopic surgery easier
Harvard researchers have created a rigid-soft robotic arm for endoscopes that can sense, flex and has multiple degrees of freedom. Flexible endoscopes fit through narrow passages to reach difficult parts of the body. Once they reach their target, the devices need rigid surgical tools to be able to manipulate or remove tissues. Researchers from Harvard’s…
Here’s how exosuits affect your joints
People who wear soft exosuits use 23% less energy when walking while also reducing stress on their ankle joints, according to a recently published study out of Harvard. The researchers previously showed that a soft robotic exosuit could lower energy expenditures in healthy people who need to carry things on their backs, but the new research shows…