We can then build implantable medical devices that can restore the functionality of diseased and damaged organs and structures. If we briefly revisit the two prior revolutions—the Industrial and Technology—these were characterized by developments of two very different concepts: the mechanical and the electrical.
Short product life cycles that quickly become obsolete and the ability to entertain fully custom projects do not fit into an automation system. What does the Second Machine Age mean? A functional soft robotic second skin can offer many advantages beyond conventional clothing. We can foresee smart skins, assist and medical devices, biodegradable and environmental robots or intelligent soft robots.
Smart materials can add new capabilities to robotics, and especially artificial organisms. They are stimulated most commonly through heat, but some SMPs transition between phases when photonically or electrically stimulated.
From robots that can monitor and repair the natural environment to nano robots to track and kill cancer, and from robots that will lead the way to planetary colonization to robot companions to keep us from loneliness in old age.
For example, a thermally operated shape memory polymer can be combined with a thermal SMP to yield a complex structure that encompasses actuation, stiffness change, and memory in one unit driven solely by heat Rossiter et al.
The advantage of the IPA is that it operates at much lower voltages than the DEA, but it can only generate lower forces. Want to talk more about the impact of robots in manufacturing?
Please see our advertising guidelines to learn more. But what is the Robotics Revolution and what will it really deliver? Another way to think of future robots is as artificial organisms.