With lizard-like self-amputation, Yale robot detaches arms and fuses at will

Roboticists at Yale University’s Faboratory have introduced a new, but unlikely capability for soft robots— self-amputation and reattachment of limbs.

While certain animals have demonstrated the benefit of shedding their tails to escape predators and form living bridges, this is the first time soft robots have taken a page out of their book.

Interesting Engineering in the past, reported about lizard-inspired structures that mimic autonomy and help buildings from catastrophic collapses.

The research team demonstrated the capabilities of their new soft quadruped robots in a series of videos. In one instance, a robot managed to escape a trap by severing its own limb, showcasing a reversible joint system heated by an electric current. The limb can later be reattached.

At the center of this innovation is a new material, a bicontinuous thermoplastic foam (BTF) that supports a sticky polymer, typically solid, but can be easily melted. This combination allows the joints to be melted, separated, and reattached without losing structural integrity.

United we stand

In addition to self-amputation, these robots can merge with one another to overcome obstacles. In another of the team’s videos, a single crawler robot stands unable to cross a gap between tables.

Three robots then fuse together using their heated joints, to form a larger, more capable unit that can now overcome the gap.

Traditional modular robotics have relied on mechanical connections and magnets, which are inherently rigid, reports Futuro Prossimo . The new combination of the BTF and sticky polymer allows for a flexible, yet strong, connection. Remarkably, this connection is durable and can withstand multiple cycles of detachment and reattachment, and opens up new possibilities for soft robotics.

Shape-shifting robots

The researchers at Yale University propose that these techniques could lead to robots capable of radical shape-shifting through changes in mass via autotomy and interfusion. While still in the early stages, this technology could revolutionize how robots interact not just with the environment, but also with each other.

Shape-shifting robots have, for long, been teased as a revolutionary step in robotics. Earlier this year, another team of researchers revealed a genius method to manipulate the molecular properties of liquid crystals through light exposure. According to the team, their method would allow for programmable tools that adapt to stimuli.

“If I wanted to make an arbitrary three-dimensional shape, like an arm or a gripper, I would have to align the liquid crystals so that when it is subject to a stimulus, this material restructures spontaneously into those shapes,” explained Serra, an associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark.

As roboticists continue to refine these systems, the vision of shape-shifting robots is becoming increasingly tangible. This leap in robotic technology is bringing us closer to a world where robots can seamlessly integrate into unpredictable and unfamiliar environments.

The team’s findings, “Self-Amputating and Interfusing Machines,” were published in the journal Advanced Materials .