Soft Robotic Sea Star

2018. A soft robotic “starfish” arm I helped develop in the Harvard Micro- robotics Lab, on a contract for the Office of Naval Research, as a potential tool for doing underwater hull inspections, reconnaissance and deep-sea exploration.

For most of the summer of 2018, I worked full-time in the Harvard Microrobotics Lab (Professor Robert J. Wood, PI), under the supervision of graduate student Michael Bell. For the Office of Naval Research, Michael is developing a soft robotic starfish, and he challenged me to come up with my own ideas for two elements: a starfish arm with three pneumatic channels, and the tube feet that allow a starfish to stick to a surface while moving. I also used my CAD and 3D printing skills to help Michael create his prototypes.

Materials: Silicone, UV-Curable Resin, Magnets

Collaborators: Michael Bell

For those familiar with fusion 360 this entire timeline represents the creation of this model(ie there is no cheating here)