Soft robots that offer patients personalised support, can sense and safely grasp fragile objects, and can adjust their structure from soft to rigid: that is the ambition of RESSORT, a new European research project led by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
Unlike traditional, rigid robots, soft robots are constructed from flexible materials that can adapt better to their environment. This enables them to work more safely alongside people and handle fragile objects. Despite their great potential, they are still often confined to laboratory environments, partly due to challenges relating to sustainability, sensors, production and reliability.
Removing barriers
Led by VUB professor Bram Vanderborght, RESSORT (Resilient Efficient Soft and Sustainable Optimised Robotics Technology) aims to remove these barriers by combining various groundbreaking technologies. For example, the researchers are developing self-healing materials, structures that can switch between soft and rigid states, affordable three-dimensional tactile sensors that enable robots to ‘feel’, artificial intelligence that adapts to changing conditions, and advanced multi-material 3D printing techniques.
Great potential for soft robots
“Soft robotics has the potential to fundamentally change the way robots interact with people and their environment. With RESSORT, we are bringing together various innovative technologies so that soft robots become not only more intelligent, but also more sustainable, more reliable and ready for real-world applications,” says project leader Professor Bram Vanderborght (Brubotics, VUB and imec).
From the laboratory to practical applications
To test the new technologies in realistic conditions, RESSORT is developing three specific applications, each of which addresses a major societal challenge. In the healthcare sector, researchers are working on a personalised soft exosuit: a wearable device that supports patients comfortably and safely during rehabilitation or everyday movements. Thanks to flexible materials and intelligent control, the exosuit can adapt to the movements and needs of each user, thereby providing bespoke support.
Food industry
For the food sector, the consortium is developing an adaptive robotic system capable of picking up and moving fragile and highly varied products. New 3D tactile sensors give the robot a sense of touch, as it were. Whereas traditional robots often struggle with fragile or irregularly shaped food items, the soft robot must be able to handle fruit, vegetables or bread safely without damaging them. This offers new possibilities for commercial kitchens, food companies and logistics environments.
Inspections
The third application focuses on inspections in hard-to-reach or sensitive environments. To this end, the project team is developing a deformable drone incorporating soft robotics technology and structures capable of adjusting their stiffness. This allows the drone to deform to navigate through narrow passages and then become stiffer again when necessary. This enables it to carry out inspections more safely in places where conventional drones or robots find it difficult or risky to operate, for example in industrial facilities or damaged infrastructure.
Collaboration
In addition to leading the consortium, the VUB, through Brubotics and imec, is making significant contributions to various areas of research. For example, the university is developing self-locking suction cups in collaboration with J. Schmalz GmbH, working on the integration of self-healing materials into robotic systems, and developing new 3D tactile sensors in partnership with Melexis. Furthermore, the VUB spin-off Valence Technologies is contributing its patented HEALANT technology for self-healing materials, making the robots more sustainable and robust.
Funding
The RESSPRT project is funded through Horizon Europe and brings together 14 partners from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland to make soft robots more sustainable, smarter and more reliable, and to prepare them for applications in healthcare, the food sector and industrial inspections.
Source and photo: VUB
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With RESSORT, we are bringing together various innovative technologies to ensure that soft robots become not only more intelligent, but also more sustainable, more reliable and ready for real-world applications.Project leader Professor Bram Vanderborght (Brubotics, VUB and imec).
