-Robots are known for being sturdy, clanky, and robust,
kind of like a bull in a china shop.
But scientists are developing softer systems
made from fabrics, rubbers, and other pliable materials,
robots that are squishing and flopping
their way into the future.
Take robotic textiles -- soft materials
with powers far beyond those of anything in your closet.
Researchers are hoping robotic textiles
can be used in wearable technologies that can,
say, enhance the strength of users
or support people with mobility issues.
The possibilities are endless,
from shape-changing smart clothes
to NASA's next-generation space suit designs.
It might take softer robots to make life,
well, a little less hard.
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-I grew up loving anime,
which I think a lot of people do nowadays.
So I remember watching, like, "Sailor Moon,"
and I'd probably tell this story a lot,
but I just loved how, like, one thing, it's great
because you have these women that are in charge.
They are going to save the day.
And two, they wore awesome outfits.
They went through these transformations
and then they have a whole new garment on
and then they are going to fight crime, save the day, be awesome.
So I think that was something
that's always planted a seed for me.
Can clothing transform? Does it have to be static?
-Vanessa Sanchez is an engineer working with
the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory
in the Wyss Institute.
She designs and develops robotic textile projects.
Can you tell me what robotic fabrics are?
-For me, robotic fabrics are any kind of textile or fabric
that has both a sensing component
as well as an actuation component.
And sensors are things where we can gain information
from the environment or the wearer
or even the textile or fabric itself
and what state it's in.
Actuators are movers.
So these are things where we're transforming
one type of energy to motion.
So I do a lot of pneumatic actuation right now,
which is like inflating a balloon.
We're taking a high-pressure source
and we're getting that
to transform into a bending motion.
-These days, most of these experimental pneumatic systems
still need to be connected to tubes and external compressors
that regulate pressure.
To ditch the bulky gear,
Vanessa and her team are developing
thermally actuating textiles.
Chemicals sealed inside the textiles vaporize or liquefy
depending on the temperature,
causing the material to inflate or deflate.
Other types of robotic textile sensors
measure things like strain or stretching
to know the wearer's position or movements.
And while, yes, admittedly, we are a long way
from "Sailor Moon"-level transformation here,
for now, Vanessa and other researchers
have more vital goals in sight.
-Some of the use cases are assistive garments
that can help those that have mobility disabilities
be able to live a more comfortable life.
Just these little things that affect people
as they go throughout their day
that can actually be major snags.
-Picture a shirt that could massage a sore back muscle
or use precise pressure to stimulate blood flow
or even a textile exo suit or glove
that could aid movement of your hands or legs.
In the pursuit of more accessible design,
Vanessa collaborates with Open Style Lab,
a nonprofit organization spun out of MIT.
Chief Brand Officer Christina Mallon
says she first got involved when she needed a coat
that she could put on without the use of her arms.
-When we talk about, like, wearable sensors, robotics,
I think that's going to have a huge impact in people's life.
It's about 20% of Americans have a disability,
and a nice portion of them have mobility challenges.
You know, I became disabled probably 11 years ago
due to motor neuron disease,
and it slowly happened over time.
And the two biggest issues I had with being disabled,
one was the -- how people were represented
with disabilities in the media
and the second was not being able to do whatever I wanted
because the world was not designed with me in mind.
-At Open Style Lab, projects using tech
like soft robotic textiles
are developed under the leadership of those
with personal disability-related experience.
Well, tell me a little bit about soft robotics
and why you're excited about this tech.
What's the potential here?
-I mean, the potential is that I'll be able
to hold my child in the future when I have a child.
I use robotics in my everyday life
and it's been super helpful for me
to regain the independence
in certain things that I would like to do.
But to be able to hug someone,
hug my family members,
to be able to do some of my personal care things by myself,
that would be such a joy.
-Christina hopes sleek, soft designs can one day
help people shed stigmas
around some of today's mobility devices.
But even with optimism for the way science can improve lives,
there are important caveats when looking to the future,
like not losing sight of the many ways
we could design things such as public spaces and transportation
to better serve people with disabilities right now.
And, of course, any amazing new soft robotic tech would actually
have to be affordable for those who want it.
-Things come out, but no one can afford them.
So they get a lot of praise in the media,
but they're so, so expensive and out of reach
for so many people with disabilities.
I think it's all about giving people the decision
to be able to move again or not.
And I think that is what I wish soft robotics will allow for.
-From early on, soft robotics has been intertwined
with assistive tech.
The McKibben artificial muscle,
an early example of soft robotics,
was invented in the 1950s by Joseph Laws McKibben,
an American physicist and engineer
who'd worked on atomic bomb testing during World War II.
His daughter, writer Karen McKibben,
had polio as a child,
leaving her without the use of her hands.
As seen in this 1959 March of Dimes footage,
Joseph created the pneumatic system to help her grip
and manipulate objects.
But designing for disability
usually has far wider implications.
His basic concept is still used today.
It's a keystone design in the field of soft robotics,
which has exploded over the last decade.
There are a lot of areas where softness is actually a strength.
Even outside wearables, soft robots can,
in theory, be folded or deflated
to take up less room than traditional robotic components.
And engineers hope soft robots can reduce injuries in factories
and other workplaces where people and robots
regularly interact.
Some soft robot parts are already in wide use.
Soft Robotics, Inc., a Massachusetts firm,
creates grippers and other tech for handling
delicate foods like Peeps marshmallow candy.
Researchers are also developing
completely soft robots,
which can take on new, never-before-seen applications
that simply wouldn't be possible with traditional robots.
Along with space suits, NASA is developing soft robots
that can theoretically assemble into shelters,
crafts, and probes.
And the Hawkes Lab at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, is developing vine robots,
called that because, like vines,
they extend from the tip
without relying on surface friction to move.
These robots can extend through tiny, cramped spaces
and could one day aid in search and rescue missions.
Some of these models use robotic textiles
like those Vanessa specializes in to steer.
-There's a lot of different fields
that have to come together.
Some in textile engineering, some in electronics,
some in polymer science,
robotics, like, there's a lot of different threads
that we're drawing through to weave everything together.
-Remember, making these complete soft robotic systems
involves rethinking a lot of basic stuff,
like figuring out how to soften up traditionally rigid elements,
such as batteries, or just get rid of them entirely,
which is no easy feat.
And proving they're just like the rest of us,
these scientists and engineers
apparently have a bit of a laundry problem to deal with.
-Some of the key challenges are things like
washability and care.
Like, if I'm going to wash the sensor, you know,
as many times as I wash my favorite pair of jeans,
is it going to hold up?
If it's coated in metal, is this going to flake off?
Can this last what we expect of our clothing?
-Vanessa imagines a future where in a couple of decades,
these kinds of robotics could be integrated
into our chairs and beds.
And as for transforming clothing,
she speculates that one day we could have plain base garments
and be able to change their shape and style
by downloading different designs.
-So you're like, "Oh, I'm wearing this already.
I'm going from work to out to the club or something.
I want to have a different style
kind of programmed into my dress."
And then the textile itself
is, like, changing shape to accommodate that.
So could you have your garment, your base garment, and be like,
"Oh, I'm going to download Swedish massage today."
Or maybe instead, you want to download resistance training
and your garment's actually making it harder for you to run.
-In the long run, it's not clear where robotic textiles
or soft robots in general will take us.
Could be "Sailor Moon," could be the actual moon.
But maybe most importantly, they carry the promise
of making life more fluid for anyone,
regardless of ability.
-You can make soft robotics beautiful,
and you'll be able to do that
while creating something that is better for the body.
Because why aren't clothes better for your body?
They should be.
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