{"id":57897,"date":"2017-10-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-18T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/richardvanhooijdonk.com\/blog\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/"},"modified":"2021-07-23T14:33:06","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T12:33:06","slug":"these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/","title":{"rendered":"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"bold-list\">\n<li>Squishy, invisible robot claw catches fish as they swim by<\/li>\n<li>Stanford\u2019s pneumatic snake robot may soon save lives<\/li>\n<li>Ocado\u2019s tentacled fruit picker can grasp soft and fragile objects<\/li>\n<li>A robotic heart pump squeezes life back into patients<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When you think about robots, you probably imagine cold machines made of hard plastics and rigid steel, with sharp edges and powerful servos. In your mind, these machines are probably on an assembly line, welding car parts in a shower of sparks or packing items for shipping. Perhaps, if you\u2019ve followed robotics closely, you also think of worker-friendly cobots &#8211; careful mechanical arms that sense human presence and slow down to avoid injuring the people around them as they work to pick and sort small items for shipping.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Rse62MLWAV0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>But the latest generation of robots is no longer big and bulky with hard, rigid edges. They\u2019re soft and somewhat creepy, moving with rhythms that mimic snakes, caterpillars, vines, and squid. It\u2019s certainly not how we would imagine them, and their unsettling movement is, well, unsettling. But they were designed as innovative solutions to problems that conventional robots just can\u2019t solve. And these cutting-edge soft robots give us a glimpse of the future of automation.<\/p>\n<p>For some problems, robotics has reached its limit. For instance, automation often requires interaction with fragile things. Robots need to grasp melons, or turn and move a patient\u2019s liver during surgery. Maybe they have to move fish from one tank to another, pick delicate fruit, or provide direct heart stimulation. In any of these cases, conventional robotics just won\u2019t do. A robotic claw made from ceramics and steel, even if you limit its strength, is likely to kill the fish, mash the fruit, or damage the heart. What you need is something soft, something that can grab and grip without endangering what it holds.<\/p>\n<h2>Squishy, invisible robot claw catches fish as they swim by<\/h2>\n<p>Scientists at MIT have been working on soft robotics for a while, and as they\u2019ve learned more, they\u2019ve set new, more difficult goals for their research. Their latest goal was to be able to catch a swimming fish without injuring it. The problem was that the materials traditionally used for robots, even clear silicone, were either a danger to the animal or too easily detected by it. Fish don\u2019t want to be caught, after all! Even the most transparent plastics and gels aren\u2019t invisible to the fish\u2019s delicate senses. Their solution was a special hydrogel, a substance that\u2019s almost 80 per cent water by weight. It\u2019s usually too soft for this kind of application, so they developed a new formula that\u2019s hardened by UV light, allowing it to remain soft and pliable, while providing it the necessary strength. And best of all &#8211; because it\u2019s mostly water &#8211; the fish can\u2019t sense it.<\/p>\n<p>The result was a nearly invisible hydraulic claw that can capture a swimming goldfish and release it unharmed. This research has taught the scientists at MIT new ways of moving and controlling their invisible, squishy hand. They\u2019re now able to move their soft robot with much greater speed than conventional approaches allow, paving the way for future advances.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33144\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33144\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33144 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/fish_invisible_robot_screenshot_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"A picture of a fish-like soft robot swimming\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33144\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Scientists at MIT have been working on soft robotics for a while, and as they\u2019ve learned more, they\u2019ve set new, more difficult goals for their research.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Stanford\u2019s pneumatic snake robot may soon save lives<\/h2>\n<p>But even weirder robots are being tested by scientists at Stanford. Imagine an inverted tube of clear plastic, like a garden hose pulled inside out. As the plastic is filled with compressed air, it grows, stretching outward like a living thing into long, curled, snake-like lengths. The team, led by Elliot Hawkes, is exploring what this simple robot can do &#8211; and they\u2019re constantly being surprised. Because it\u2019s soft, and because it \u2018grows\u2019 with compressed air, it can find tiny cracks and slip through them, inflating to lift heavy objects. As Joey David Greer, one of the team members, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2017\/7\/19\/15983174\/soft-robot-plant-science-robotics-greer\">explains<\/a>, \u201cOne thing we found with this growing robot, is that it is surprisingly difficult to stop it from lengthening when it is pressurized \u2014 if there is a way it can extend, it probably will.\u201d They conducted tests in which it wormed its way under a 100 kg box, lifting it from the ground once enough of the robot\u2019s snake-like body had worked its way under it. The researchers hope to develop this robot further, with its most promising application being search and rescue. Just imagine how many lives will be saved when this robot becomes viable tech.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Stanford researchers develop vine-like, growing robot\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oRjFFgAZQnk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Ocado\u2019s tentacled fruit picker can grasp soft and fragile objects<\/h2>\n<p>Watching these soft robots in action is more than a bit creepy. <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/keynote\/the-future-of-agriculture\/\">Ocado\u2019s fruit picker<\/a>, for instance, is enough to fuel nightmares. Its quivering grabber reaches for the fruit below it, slowly dropping onto an unsuspecting bag of limes. It then wraps its tentacles around the tiny bag of green fruit, ensnaring it in tendrils that jiggle like hardened Jell-O. If you were directing a horror movie with produce as the main protagonist, this would be the villain! Ocado is an online retailer that offers soft, easily damaged items as part of its stock. As Alex Harvey, the company\u2019s head of robotics and autonomous systems, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.co.uk\/article\/ocado-robot-pick-up-fruit-soft-items\">told<\/a> Wired, &#8220;There are 48,000 different items we have in the warehouse and the diversity, size, shape, and rigidity of all these items makes it a very difficult robotics problem from a manipulation perspective.\u201d Old-school robotics aren\u2019t up to the task, and they\u2019ve settled on the Soma robotic arm as a solution. Its soft grip can grasp pretty much anything fragile that needs to be picked and packed.<\/p>\n<h2>A robotic heart pump that squeezes life back into patients<\/h2>\n<p>This grasping action hasn\u2019t been missed by physicians, either. They\u2019re exploring how it can help heart patients in recovery. We already have mechanical heart pumps that assist people who\u2019ve suffered heart attacks, but these machines require direct contact with the patient\u2019s blood and the risk of clots means heavy doses of dangerous blood thinners for the patient. A new design from Harvard\u2019s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences uses an air pump to power a soft robotic hand that gently squeezes the heart, helping it pump life-giving blood. It\u2019s attached to the heart with gel, suction, and sutures, and it\u2019s customised to match what the patient needs &#8211; more pressure on this or that side, a harder squeeze here or there, etc. While it\u2019s still being tested, and is intended as a temporary \u2018bridge\u2019 measure until the heart recovers, Frank Pigula, a physician and researcher of this new tech, <a href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/air-powered-robotic-sleeve-wraps-around-your-heart-to-k-1791392950\">says<\/a> that \u201cOne day the robotic sleeve may help their heart work well enough that their quality of life can be restored.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These soft robots are still in the early stages of research and design, and each of them requires an external pump to provide the fluid or air that drives their motion. But they\u2019re teaching researchers a lot about how this new generation of robots might help us, from pneumatic rescue snakes that can squiggle through cracks and lift debris, to robotic heart gloves that squeeze life back into us, one pump at a time. The future of machines may be hard science, but it looks like it might be soft robots as well.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33146\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33146\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33146 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/heart-punp-robot-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"A white material with tubes surrounding a heart pumping blood to it during surgery\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33146\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new design from Harvard\u2019s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences uses an air pump to power a soft robotic hand that gently squeezes the heart, helping it pump life-giving blood.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Squishy, invisible robot claw catches fish as they swim by Stanford\u2019s pneumatic snake robot may soon save lives Ocado\u2019s tentacled fruit picker can grasp soft and fragile objects A robotic heart pump squeezes life back into patients When you think about robots, you probably imagine cold machines made of hard plastics and rigid steel, with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45337,"parent":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2872],"tags":[4218],"article-type":[],"trends":[5445],"class_list":["post-57897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare","tag-future","trends-robotics-en"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics - Richard van Hooijdonk Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fascinating, and somewhat creepy, soft robots are shaping the future of robotics. From gentle grippers to rescue snakes, the future is surprisingly soft. &amp;#x2705\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics - Richard van Hooijdonk Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fascinating, and somewhat creepy, soft robots are shaping the future of robotics. From gentle grippers to rescue snakes, the future is surprisingly soft. &amp;#x2705\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Richard van Hooijdonk Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-18T22:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-07-23T12:33:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"526\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hein\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hein\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hein\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cd9351ef31c33ebb6dd4efd845fe2b37\"},\"headline\":\"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-18T22:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-23T12:33:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1319,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"future\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Healthcare\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/\",\"name\":\"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics - Richard van Hooijdonk Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-18T22:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-23T12:33:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Fascinating, and somewhat creepy, soft robots are shaping the future of robotics. From gentle grippers to rescue snakes, the future is surprisingly soft. &#x2705\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":526,\"caption\":\"A robot and a human shaking hands, with a lab in the background\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/en\\\/keynotespreker-trendwatcher-en-futurist\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Richard van Hooijdonk Blog\",\"description\":\"Keynote speaker, trendwatcher and futurist\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Richard van Hooijdonk BV\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/logo-footer-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/logo-footer-1.png\",\"width\":100,\"height\":72,\"caption\":\"Richard van Hooijdonk BV\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cd9351ef31c33ebb6dd4efd845fe2b37\",\"name\":\"Hein\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/17c0b4046546bb0e1add38c8f8f5e3d0b4a016ca1bf1f7d002bb95611e4bbda4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/17c0b4046546bb0e1add38c8f8f5e3d0b4a016ca1bf1f7d002bb95611e4bbda4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/17c0b4046546bb0e1add38c8f8f5e3d0b4a016ca1bf1f7d002bb95611e4bbda4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hein\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics - Richard van Hooijdonk Blog","description":"Fascinating, and somewhat creepy, soft robots are shaping the future of robotics. From gentle grippers to rescue snakes, the future is surprisingly soft. &#x2705","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics - Richard van Hooijdonk Blog","og_description":"Fascinating, and somewhat creepy, soft robots are shaping the future of robotics. From gentle grippers to rescue snakes, the future is surprisingly soft. &#x2705","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/","og_site_name":"Richard van Hooijdonk Blog","article_published_time":"2017-10-18T22:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-07-23T12:33:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":526,"url":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hein","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hein","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/"},"author":{"name":"Hein","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cd9351ef31c33ebb6dd4efd845fe2b37"},"headline":"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics","datePublished":"2017-10-18T22:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-07-23T12:33:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/"},"wordCount":1319,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg","keywords":["future"],"articleSection":["Healthcare"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/","name":"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics - Richard van Hooijdonk Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg","datePublished":"2017-10-18T22:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-07-23T12:33:06+00:00","description":"Fascinating, and somewhat creepy, soft robots are shaping the future of robotics. From gentle grippers to rescue snakes, the future is surprisingly soft. &#x2705","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/shutterstock_735559831-min-700x460-1.jpg","width":800,"height":526,"caption":"A robot and a human shaking hands, with a lab in the background"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/these-4-fascinating-and-creepy-soft-robots-are-shaping-the-future-of-robotics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/keynotespreker-trendwatcher-en-futurist\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"These 4 fascinating and creepy soft robots are shaping the future of robotics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/","name":"Richard van Hooijdonk Blog","description":"Keynote speaker, trendwatcher and futurist","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#organization","name":"Richard van Hooijdonk BV","url":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/logo-footer-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/logo-footer-1.png","width":100,"height":72,"caption":"Richard van Hooijdonk BV"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cd9351ef31c33ebb6dd4efd845fe2b37","name":"Hein","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/17c0b4046546bb0e1add38c8f8f5e3d0b4a016ca1bf1f7d002bb95611e4bbda4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/17c0b4046546bb0e1add38c8f8f5e3d0b4a016ca1bf1f7d002bb95611e4bbda4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/17c0b4046546bb0e1add38c8f8f5e3d0b4a016ca1bf1f7d002bb95611e4bbda4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hein"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57897"},{"taxonomy":"article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-type?post=57897"},{"taxonomy":"trends","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trends?post=57897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}