There was a time when most Sci-fi books or movies began with the words in the year 2000,
or it's the 21st century, expecing an amazing age of advanced science and technology.
They weren't entirely wrong, we constantly witness the creation of things once thought
impossible.
In the first of our three part series on the fourth industrial revolution, our Lee Ji-won
zooms in on soft robotics, the field drawing a growing number of young researchers with
innovative ideas about how to design their world.
Robots are often depicted as big, boxy machines made of steel.
But that stereotype may not hold true in the near future,... because in the fourth industrial
revolution...
a new type of robot is starting to emerge.
And Korea's student researchers are right in the thick of it all.
"Universities are on vacation this time of year, but the research labs here are still
working day and night.
Let's go visit one of them."
This team specializes in soft robotics, and develops non-rigid robots made from silicone,
rubber and other soft materials... to better replicate the movements of living creatures
and perform tasks that existing robots can't.
Among the many projects on the team's to-do list, the Exo-Glove Poly is one to keep an
eye on.
The glove is designed to help people who suffer from paralysis of the hand and fingers...
by enabling them to grasp and pinch objects.
"It works like the human hand,... when the tendons that run through the glove are pulled,
the fingers close and grasp the object."
The glove can also be readjusted to fit the wearer's hand size and disability.
"The designs differ, with some more focused on closing the fingers,... while others are
more focused on opening the fingers."
The gadget has been gaining a positive response worldwide... for its portability, simple yet
compact features and user convenience, including its washable materials.
It's already on its way to being mass produced for commercial use, but people have already
been asking when and where they can buy it.
And on top of the new possibilities the gadget offers people with difficulties moving their
hands,... it's also served as an inspiration to its developers.
"By participating in the research for Exo-Glove Poly, I saw how even a small robot could be
a big help to people with disabilities.
I felt a strong motivation to continue developing robots for rehabilitation."
Over in another corner of the lab... is a small robot with transformable origami wheels...
that can change size and shape,... depending on the circumstances.
"This is a search and rescue robot.
Its wheels will shrink when it needs to squeeze itself into a narrow passageway,... but when
it needs to climb stairs and go over rocky surfaces, the wheels get bigger."
The innovative wheels are one of the features that landed the team, and their robot SNUMAX,
in first place at the first ever RoboSoft Grand Challenge last year.
"The challenge was held to introduce the new paradigm of robotics, and show what soft robots
are capable of doing.
And our SNUMAX, which has various features our lab has been working on,... was able to
overcome the obstacles in the challenge,... including moving on sand and climbing up stairs."
Having spent time developing this new kind of robot, the team is familiar with the challenges...
and the failures that can come long before any success.
But the researcher says that it is from those failures that innovative ideas arise,... and
that transforming his ideas into working robots is what made him excited about soft robotics.
"When developing these soft robots, we have to think from scratch,... because they run
very differently from rigid ones.
But it is for that reason that we can think outside the box and really be able to implement
more of our ideas in the robots."
Their work and open approach are already attracting many young researchers.
"People in wheelchairs have difficulty when they encounter obstacles in their path.
So I want to develop a spider-leg like chair that can just take giant steps and walk over
it."
"While most robots are fast and durable,... they're not very flexible,... and soft robots
are able to make up for these disadvantages.
However, they also need to be better at delivering power and a faster reaction time.
So I hope to work on these areas."
Although soft robotics is relatively new,... many researchers say it will eventually come
to define the field.
"Many robot engineers will agree that the perfect robot is a living organism.
And I believe...
these soft robots will eventually open up a whole new paradigm in robotics.
And our professor says, in the future,... soft robotics won't be the sub-topic, but
will define robotics itself."
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.