Annabelle:

A robot that evolves to find the most efficient way to get to its target in fluid movements. The spherical robot travels by pumping air through  6 silicone pockets.

 The Slime Bot grew out of a desire to create a robot that is more like humans in certain respects. Made of six silicone pockets, the spherical robot travels with fluid motion and evolves to find the most efficient way to reach its target. Using a bit of AI, it figures out the best route to its goal(light). Using six photo resistors on each side  of the Slime Bot, it can determine which side has the most light and will want to roll that way. The rest of the robot is built using an Arduino coded to inflate different silicone pockets and determine the direction in which the sphere rolls. If the bottom pocket on the opposite side of the desired direction inflates, the 'bot will be unbalanced, causing it to roll. This also creates a fluid motion because it is not relying on hinges or solid parts to help move it. Instead it relies on air and flexible pouches. The Slime Bot was just a small step in helping push the boundaries between humans and robots. 

Sina:

A soft, flexible robot that evolves to independently navigate the terrain around it in fluid movements.

Despite significant advances in soft robotics and AI technology, the majority of robots are still clunky, rigid, and need either humans or specific instructions to direct their movements. The Aero Orb is made of silicone, which gives it flexibility and makes it inflatable. Inside its squishy, spherical body, there is a layer of silicone that is split into sections that form pockets that are inflated with pumps to expand and push the Aero Orb along its path. Instead of a human determining the path, the Aero Orb comes up with its own path using a neural network. The neural network chooses which pocket to inflate depending on inputs it gets from the environment. If inflating a particular pocket leads to motion, the neural network determines that inflating that section is positive, if it doesn’t lead to it moving, it determines that it is negative. Through trial and error, the Aero Orb is able to develop an advanced way to move independently of humans. In a world of advancing technology, having a robot able to teach itself to move in a variety of environments could help the field of robotics to create a more automated world. 

If you have used the NuVu Platform before AND you remember your password, then skip to STEP 4 and 5. If this is your first time using the Platform or if you have forgotten your password, then follow all of the steps below. 

STEP 1: In the top-right corner, click the word "login." 

STEP 2: When the black menu appears, click "reset password," and enter your school email address, and then click "Send Password Reset Link."

STEP 3: Check your school email account for an email from NuVu. Be sure to check your junk email folder as well if you don't see the email in your inbox. Follow the instructions in the email to reset your password.

STEP 4: You should now see your name in the top right corner. Success! (your screen will look slightly different than mine). Under "Studios" click on our current studio, "Cyborg Enhancements". You can also find this studio by clicking on your name in the top right corner.

STEP 5: You are now on the landing page for our studio for the rest of the term! To let me know that you have succeeded in making it this far, make a celebratory comment under the post "comment here!" This post will only appear if you have logged in successfully. 

Session 1: Jul 6-17, 2020

Imagine robots that look more like caterpillars and sponges rather than the giant robotic arms that you see on factory floors...this is the world of soft robotics, and it’s changing the impact of robotics in a wide array of industries. These highly flexible, lightweight systems can accomplish tasks and missions that would be unimaginable by their rigid counterparts due to their soft, deformable materials. All around the world, designers are using soft robotics to create responsive apparel, smart accessories, and assistive devices to enhance people’s everyday life. Are you ready to make the next breakthrough product using soft robotics?

In this Studio, we will be surveying the current needs and demands for soft robots and propose new contexts for their flexible and compliant mechanisms. Using programmable materials, pneumatic actuators, and bioplastics, we will conceive and fabricate the next species of soft robots. Students will design, build and program tech products from the ground up, test them, and analyze how their products perform. They will explore new potential for compliant mechanisms and understand ways to manipulate material properties to control movement. Through this process, students will posit innovative and unprecedented use cases and contexts for soft robotics as well as devise various material and scale fabrication methods. Get ready for the unbearable softness of bots!

REGISTER HERE!

Focus Skills/Subjects/Technologies:

     Bio Materials

   Engineering

   Electronics

   Robotics (Arduino, Sensors, Actuators)

   Custom Fabrication

   3d Modeling

If you have used the NuVu Platform before AND you remember your password, then skip to STEP 4 and 5. If this is your first time using the Platform or if you have forgotten your password, then follow all of the steps below. 

STEP 1: In the top-right corner, click the word "login." 

STEP 2: When the black menu appears, click "reset password," and enter your school email address, and then click "Send Password Reset Link."

STEP 3: Check your school email account for an email from NuVu. Be sure to check your junk email folder as well if you don't see the email in your inbox. Follow the instructions in the email to reset your password.

STEP 4: You should now see your name in the top right corner. Success! (your screen will look slightly different than mine). Under "Studios" click on our current studio, "Cyborg Enhancements". You can also find this studio by clicking on your name in the top right corner.

STEP 5: You are now on the landing page for our studio for the rest of the term! To let me know that you have succeeded in making it this far, make a celebratory comment under the post "comment here!" This post will only appear if you have logged in successfully. 

Creating Your Studio Setup

Materials 

When looking to build anything, the materials chosen become very important, and this is no different for our project.  We will be on the look out for a few different types of materials with varied uses.  The best location to begin your search is the recycling bin, but please make sure to approve this with adults prior to delving in.

For each of these properties, have a picture ready and your reason for why you chose it. No re-using materials, each should be a different material.

1. Strong: Find a piece of material which is very strong. When we use the word strong, how does this fit your material?
2. Weak: Find a material which is weak.  Does this fit the same definition from your strong material or do strength and weakness take on different meanings for different materials?  Why would you want a weak material in your bot?
3. Flexible: Find a piece of material which is flexible.  Does this material return to its original shape after being flexed or does it stay in a new shape?  Is is harder to flex in one direction than another?
4. Fold-able: Find a material which folds.  How is this different from your flexible material?
5. Easy to cut: Find a material which you can easily(and safely!) cut with scissors.  Why would this material be useful for your bot?
6. Hard to cut: Find a material which is hard to cut (and please do not try to cut it now). Why might this be useful for your bot?  What might be a challenge when using this?