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Rubbery figures: scientists create an entirely soft robot

US researchers have really put the "soft" into "soft robot". They've built one out of nothing but rubber and air.

There aren't even any conventional electronics. Silicone tubing and pressurised air do that job. According to Harvard University's Daniel Preston, the invention could allow operators to "replicate any behaviour found on any electronic computer".

In the case of the bobbing fish-like robot Preston and colleagues created, an environmental pressure sensor determines what action to take.

The soft valves are programmed to react to different air pressures. The robot dives when the circuit senses low pressure at the top of the tank and surfaces when it senses high pressure at depth. It can also rise up on command if someone pushes an external soft button.

In other words, says Preston, it relies exclusively on soft digital logic – and that's a first.

The how and why are explained in a paper published in the journal PNAS.

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