Snakeskin Robot, Bertoldi Group, Materials and Structures by Design, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) are drawing material inspiration from the ancient Japanese paper craft of kirigami.

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A team of researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has developed a soft robot inspired by snakeskin. The robotic scales are made using kirigami - an ancient Japanese paper craft that relies on cuts, rather than origami folds, to change the properties of a material. As the robot stretches, the flat kirigami surface is transformed into a 3D-textured surface, which grips the ground just like snakeskin.

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