The grasping hydrogel robot was able to capture and release a goldfish.
Credit:
Melanie Gonick/MIT
Squishy, nearly transparent robots that flap, squeeze and kick when pumped with water could be the next underwater spies, at least when it comes to sneaking up on aquatic life.
In a robotic test, one of these jelly-like machines was quick enough to grab and release a goldfish, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found.
The researchers, led by engineer Xuanhe Zhao and graduate student Hyunwoo Yuk, created a series of the transparent robots from a rubbery material called hydrogel, including a fin-like bot that can flap back and forth, a "limb" that can kick, and a hand-shaped structure that can squeeze and let go. [Watch the Hydrogel Robots in Action (Video)] https://www.livescience.com/57752-watch-squishy-robot-captures-goldfish.html
