Researchers have developed a new soft robot design that engages in three simultaneous behaviors: rolling forward, spinning like a record, and following a path that orbits around a central point.
The new soft robots, called twisted ringbots, are made of twisted ribbon-like liquid crystal elastomers and can roll forward, spin like a record, and travel in an orbital path.
The twisted ringbots could be useful for mapping unknown environments and their behavior is determined by their structural design and materials, rather than computer or human control. [ more ]