We've seen cool 3D printers before, and we're definitely no strangers to robots, but this is the first 3D-printed soft robot we've ever seen capable of walking off its own assembly line. The robot was designed and printed by a team from The University of Edinburgh. According to the project journal, a huge goal of this project was to make improvements in the field of fluidic soft systems.
The team had to develop what they describe as a new 3D printing system oriented specifically for 3D printing fluidic soft systems like the robotic walking unit featured here. This was particularly complicated thanks to the complexities that come with 3D printing the flexible materials used to create fluidic engineering components.
You might be wondering how a robot is capable of walking if it's only just been 3D printed, and you're not alone. It's a strange idea and far from common today. But in short, the answer is air pressure. Just after printing, a hose is attached to the robot to build up pressure that moves through the 3D printed channels, making it walk.
The team calls their creation Flex Printer and has decided to make the design open source. A key component in its performance lies in the necessity of orienting prints at specific angles to optimize the adhesion and reliability of the layers used to build the fluid channels. This is crucial for ensuring the quality of the system.
The team hopes that this project will open the door to more fluidic systems and soft robots like the one they created today. There are plenty of real-world use cases that could be applied to this technology, so it's cool to not only see it in action but also see its design in detail thanks to the decision to make it open source.
If you're excited about 3D printing in general—and not necessarily soft robots like the one featured here—then you should check out our list of best 3D printers to get an idea of what machines are our favorites and which ones we recommend. It doesn't take much to get started, and we have plenty of guides to help you on your journey.
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