Robots ‘soft’ like plants and seeds, to protect the planet. The international soft robotics conference in edinburgh

The International Soft Robotics Conference in Edinburgh Biodegradable mini robots inspired by plant seeds, flexible arms like octopuses, or biodegradable sensors that imitate leaves: these are the many faces of soft robotics, machines that have no rigid components. The fifth edition of the international conference on soft robotics, which kicks off on April 4 in Edinburgh, is entirely dedicated to exploring the potential of this promising sector of robotics.

These robots, defined as soft and fluffy, would be inspired by the seeds of plants, leaves, and animals are called Soft Robotics, a branch of robotics that studies these very safe devices with unimaginable potential compared to the ‘usual rigid robots.’ The fifth edition of the International Conference on Soft Robotics kicked off on April 4 in Edinburgh and focused on these devices.

Among the various projects, these I-seeds shine, inspired by plant seeds, biodegradable and with the ability to analyze soil and air, the sensors for plants that are able to analyze vital parameters, but also other projects related to recent needs, such as ecological and medical emergencies.

‘Soft robots are intrinsically safe because they have no rigid parts and have so many potential applications that are impossible for traditional robotics, for example, to explore very difficult or narrow environments or in the agri-food sector to manipulate delicate objects such as fruit or to monitor the environment,’ explained to ANSA the co-organizer of the Conference and Associate Director for Robotics at the IIT-Italian Institute of Technology, Barbara Mazzolai. I-seed microrobots inspired by plant seeds, biodegradable and capable of monitoring the soil and air, or biocompatible sensors capable of adhering to plants to verify their vital parameters, are just some of the most recent projects that make the idea of ​the many possibilities offered by flexible electronics.