(Nanowerk News) Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are ...

In a recent review published in Micromachines, researchers from Spain and Portugal highlighted the synergistic combination of shape-memory polymers (SMP) with carbon nanotubes (CNT) to enhance ...

What are shape memory polymers? Shape memory polymers were first conceived back in the 1940s when L. B. Vernon and his colleagues discovered the shape memory properties of polymers, reported in a 1941 ...

Traditional robotic systems with rigid parts often pose a threat to human operators. Recently flourishing soft actuators and robots, in contrast, offer excellent adaptivity to surroundings and safe, ...

Water striders are fascinating to watch, as they scoot across the water while supported by surface tension. Scientists have now built a tiny robotic version of the insect, which utilizes a ...

The technique of keyhole surgery minimises scarring, speeds healing and reduces the risk of infection. However, it is extremely difficult to carry out delicate surgical procedures accurately in a ...

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Shape-memory metals, which can revert from one shape to a different one simply by being warmed or otherwise triggered, have been useful in a variety of applications, as actuators that can control the ...