Hydrogel goes for a stroll

Soft robot moving

Source: © Daehoon Han

3D printed hydrogel figurine walks back and forth in electric field

 Standing at only a few centimetres tall, a humanlike figure takes a stroll through a beaker using its long arms to push itself forward. This tiny soft robot is made out of a hydrogel that changes shape in response to an electric field and was created by researchers from the US and South Korea, who also designed a miniature gripper and a tiny bristly transporter.