A soft robotic device powered by popcorn, constructed by researchers in Cornell’s Collective Embodied Intelligence Lab.
Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University
Cornell University researchers have discovered how to power simple robots with a novel substance that, when heated, can expand more than 10X in size, change its viscosity by a factor of 10 and transition from regular to highly irregular granules with surprising force.
“Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators,” a recent paper co-authored by Steven Ceron, mechanical engineering doctoral student, and Kirstin H. Petersen, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, examines how popcorn’s unique qualities can power inexpensive robotic devices that grip, expand or change rigidity.
“The goal of our lab is to try to make very...
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