Intriguing capability that addresses adding rigidity to allow robots to resist movement. Had not thought of this as a useful function.
Helping Soft Robots Turn Rigid on Demand
MIT News, Daniel Ackerman, March 3, 2021
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers used computer models to design a soft-bodied, cable-driven robot that turns rigid on demand by simultaneously controlling its position and stiffness. MIT's James Bern said, "It's just encoding that idea [of on-demand rigidity] into something a computer can work with." Bern used this roadmap to model the tuning of movement and rigidity in robots of various shapes, and tested their ability, when stiffened, to resist displacement when pushed. In simulation, the robots generally remained rigid as intended, but were not equally resistant from all angles. Bern is constructing a prototype robot to test the control system, and said his hope is to "start making soft robots that are safe but can also act rigid on demand, and expand the spectrum of tasks robots can perform." ... '
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