SMART and NUS pioneer neural blueprint for human-like intelligence in soft robots - Robotics & Automation News

“This work redefines what’s possible in soft robotics. We’ve shifted the paradigm from task-specific tuning and capabilities toward a truly generalisable framework with human-like intelligence. It is a breakthrough that opens the door to scalable, intelligent soft machines capable of operating in real-world environments,” said Professor Cecilia Laschi, Principal Investigator at M3S, Provost’s Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the College of Design and Engineering and Director of the Advanced Robotics Centre at NUS, and co-corresponding author of the paper. NecessaryAlways Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. This breakthrough opens doors for more robust soft robotic systems to develop manufacturing, logistics, inspection and medical robotics without the need for constant reprogramming – reducing downtime and costs. In healthcare, assistive and rehabilitation devices can automatically tailor their movements to a patient’s changing strength or posture, while wearable or medical soft robots can respond more sensitively to individual needs, improving safety and patient outcomes.

The researchers plan to extend this technology to robotic systems or components that can operate at higher speeds and more complex environments, with potential applications in assistive robotics, medical devices and industrial soft manipulators, as well as integration into real-world autonomous systems.