This Soft Robot Detects Damage & Heals Itself

Here is a soft robot capable of detecting when and where it is damaged to heal itself on the spot. Cornell University engineers used fiber-optic sensors with LED lights that can detect changes on the surface of the robot. As explained on Techxplore, a rapid healing polyurethane urea elastomer was also used.

This approach (SHeaLDS) can be used to develop damage resilient robots that can heal and adapt to damage. The above shows it in action.

[Credit: Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq2104]