Important Innovations

Microrobots with Controlled Flight Source:  Harvard University Search & Rescue Missions Harvard's RoboBees are the first microbots powered by soft actuators to achieve controlled flight. They have soft artificial muscles that enable them to survive crashes and collisions making them perfect for search and rescue missions in dangerous, cluttered environments. The robobees are so sturdy, dexterous and resilient they can even crash into a wall or collide with another robobee without any damage. Hoverbots The tiny robots are equipped with actuators made from dielectric elastomers that deform when hit with an electrical current.  The actuators are soft and the Harvard team says they're easily assembled and scaled up.  Unlike other drones made with soft actuators, the robobees have enough power density to hover in place. Going for Commercialization The Harvard team has created a number of models including one with 8 wings and 4 actuators th...

Tunabot - Fast as Tuna, Next G Underwater Vehicle Propulsion Source:  University of Virginia Prototype for Next G Underwater Vehicle Propulsion The tuna is one of the fastest fish in the sea.  A mechanical engineering team from University of Virginia in collaboration with biologists from Harvard University have invented a robofish that can swim as fast as a yellowfin tuna.  The team says it's not about the robot.  It's about inventing a new, faster and more efficient underwater propulsion system for manned and unmanned underwater vehicles. Physics of Fish Propulsion At Harvard and UVA, Tunabot is tethered in a large flow tank with a green laser to measure fluid motion as it swims.  Yellowfin tuna grow to 7 feet.  The Tunabot is 10 inches long.  The purpose of this research is to better understand the physics of fish propulsion to develop the next generation of underwater vehicles with fish like propulsion system.  The team says the ult...

Invention by Scientists at Harvard and McGill Universities Source:  Harvard University Fast Healing from Hydrogel Bandage Time heals all wounds but this new bandage does it faster.  It's an algae inspired, hydrogel bandage that heals wounds without any antibiotics.  It was created by a team of scientists at Harvard University working with a team at McGill University.  They say it's a scalable approach, meaning it can be quickly ramped up for manufacturing and distribution.  The heat-responsive hydrogel accelerates healing with no side effects. Silver Nanoparticles The bandage mimics embryonic fluid and even heals chronic wounds.  The active adhesive dressing  contains an alginate hydrogel with silver nanoparticles.  The bandage adheres firmly to the skin but can be adjusted for more flexibility around joints. The bioinspired wound dressing contracts in response to body heat and speeds healing,

New, Soft Robot that's Fast and Precise Source:  Harvard's SEAS Made Using Kirigami - Japanese Paper Craft Researchers at the Harvard John Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) have made a soft robot using Kirigami.  That's a Japanese paper craft that relies on cuts to change the material's properties.  As the robot stretches, the surface pops into a 3-dimensional surface.  It's able to grip the ground like a snake.  Their new soft robot is precise and fast. Harvard researchers call it Crawler. Potential for Robotic Smart Skins and Responsive Surfaces The robot's kirigami's shell pops up in a discontinuous manner.  The researchers say this kind of design control can be used to create smart skins and responsive surfaces with on-demand changes in texture and shape.  In essence, they control the pop-up and how the skin performs by the cuts and the curvature.  It's another in the rapidly accelerating advancements and inno...

New Innovation from MIT, DARPA and Harvard's Wyss Institute Source:  MIT Magic Ball Soft Robotic Gripper New Soft Gripper Robotic Hand The team from MIT, DARPA and Harvard's Wyss Institute have innovated a new piece of robotic soft gripping.  A technology that can pick up a tiny piece of broccoli to a much more heavy drone.  The soft, Magic Ball Robot gripper gently lifts objects up to 100 times its weight.  The concept that inspired the team comes from origami. Components Magic Ball is a soft, flexible cone structure with airtight skin and attached to a vacuum pump.  The cone flexes to fit around the object and the vacuum tightens it.  It's worked well in testing. Potential uses include packing and shipping.

Harvard Research on How Some Animals Regenerate Severed Body Parts Source:  DNA Molecules It's All in the DNA Harvard scientists have made a remarkable discovery.  They wanted to learn why some animals such as geicos, salamanders and worms are capable of what's called whole body regeneration - for instance regenerating severed limbs or tails.  They just reported the discovery of a number of DNA switches that appear to control genes used in whole body regeneration.  For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: Whole Body Regeneration - Genetic Switches : Breakthrough Harvard University Research Source: Stock image of DNA Salamanders, Geicos, Worms DNA Harvard scientists started with ...

MIT-Harvard Smart Pill Source:  MIT Radical New Technology:  a Pill that Delivers Insulin A small pill has been invented by an MIT-Harvard research team that attaches to the lining of the stomach and delivers insulin.  Designed for those with Type One diabetes, the pill has been tested and performs as well as insulin injections.  It could be a very attractive alternative to insulin injections for diabetics.  Global experts are calling it exciting, "radical new technology".  For a news blog on it, go to my journalist colleague Ed Kane's blog at Important Innovations Collection: MIT-Harvard Smart Pill : Pill Microneedle Source:  MIT Radically New Technology Delivers Insulin Harvard, MIT and insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk have inven...

Harvard's Soft Exosuit Harvard & DARPA's Exosuit Enhancing Strength, Speed and Endurance Every individual has their distinct physical limits.  For instance, the maximum weight you can lift and the time and distance you can run.  But, thanks to researchers at Harvard University's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, physical limits are being overcome. Lightweight Exoskeleton Working in conjunction with the Pentagon's advanced research projects agency DARPA, Wyss has developed a soft Exosuit  for soldiers.  It's a lightweight skeleton frame that enhances the person's abilities, including faster speeds, greater strength and endurance. Very Smart Suit This is state of the art innovation.  It's a smart suit, loaded with built-in sensors and a microcomputer to intelligently calibrate and match exactly what the user needs.  DARPA and Wyss researchers continue to build on the Exosuit's capabilities.

Harvard Robot to Do Surgery It's a tiny, soft robot, inspired by spiders, that may operate on humans someday.  Harvard and Boston University engineers and scientists developed it.  Their goal is to enable the robot to get to areas inside the human body that surgeons can't reach. This is the 1st time a flexible soft robot with an extensive range of capabilities has been created on such a small scale.  The process is called MORPH. Robots One Millimeter in Size Boston University and Harvard's Wyss Institute have developed a process to create millimeter-sized, flexible robots.  It's a hybrid technology that merges 3 different fabrication techniques.  With the process, the team created a soft robot spider made of silicone rubber.  It has 18 degrees of "freedom", meaning changes in structure, motion and color.  These devices are at the micrometer scale level, meaning they can operate in small, inaccessible places. Many Applications The soft robotic...