A research project to make fully soft robotics that can survive in harsh conditions.

Flexi Bots are fully soft robots that can survive in harsh conditions, such as very high temperatures, impact, and crushing pressures. Current soft robots use hard bodies with soft actuators, the problem with this approach is the physical robot is not resistant to crushing or impact. This project will be used mainly by researchers because of the wide variety of forces this robot can handle. These robots are made entirely out of silicone, using 3D-printed molds and wax inserts that are melted out to create air pockets that inflate via pneumatics to actuate small feet that propel the robots forward. At this stage, they will be used mainly by researchers who want to investigate the wide variety of forces this robot can handle. In the future, the hope is that these robots will be used to explore the ocean, climb on ships, or even be used in swarms. They could be either remote-controlled or fully autonomous.