An octopus-inspired soft robotic arm that is capable of sensing contact, estimating the intensity and direction of the applied force, and grasping objects autonomously, even in complex environments such as underwater settings. Developed by Barbara Mazzolai's group at the Italian Institute of Technology in Italy. Credit: IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
The oceans hide some of the most sophisticated solutions nature has ever developed and are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the robotics of the future. The Bioinspired Soft Robotics research unit, coordinated by Barbara Mazzolai, associate director for robotics at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT—Italian Institute of Technology), has developed an octopus-inspired soft robotic arm that, thanks to the technology embedded in its artificial suction cups, is capable of sensing contact, estimating the intensity and direction of the applied force, and grasping objects autonomously, even in complex environments such as underwater settings.
The study, published in Nature Machine Intelligence, represents a significant advance in the field of soft robotics. The device is among the first examples of a soft manipulator equipped with tactile sensors integrated into the suction cups, enabling touch-based autonomous manipulation.
