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MIT's shock-absorbing robots are safer and more precise
Soft robots aren't just about speed and grace... they should be safer, too. To prove that point, MIT's CSAIL has developed bouncing robots whose 3D-printed soft skins act as shock absorbers. The technique revolves around printing a "programmable viscoelastic material" where every aspect of the skin (which includes solids, liquids and a rubber-like substance called TangoBlack+) is tuned to the right level of elasticity. The robot can give way where it needs to, but remain solid otherwise. As a result, it can bounce around without taking damage, and land four times more precisely than it would with an inflexible surface.
