{"id":656419,"date":"2025-03-09T10:55:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-09T07:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/silk-inspired-in-situ-web-spinning-for-situated-robots\/"},"modified":"2025-03-09T10:55:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-09T07:55:10","slug":"silk-inspired-in-situ-web-spinning-for-situated-robots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/silk-inspired-in-situ-web-spinning-for-situated-robots\/","title":{"rendered":"#Silk-inspired in situ web spinning for situated robots"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n A spun bridge supporting a steel balance weight to demonstrate good load capacity. Credit: Authors, CC-4.0
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Researchers at the Institute of Technology<\/a>, University of Tartu, present a robotics concept in which temporary robot embodiments and movement pathways are spun in situ from a polymer solution. They demonstrate an ad hoc gripper for delicate handling and a bridge for crossing debris fields and natural terrain.<\/p>\n

While today’s large language models adapt situationally on the fly, their bodies remain fixed. They are either optimized for a specific task or built into a one-size-fits-all principle that rarely excels. But what if a machine could develop any structure demanded by its situatedness, right when and where it’s needed?<\/p>\n

Researchers at Tartu University’s Institute of Technology have unveiled a robotics concept that redefines adaptability by literally weaving its body on demand, much like spiders spin their webs. By extruding a heated polymer solution that cools into fine fibers, the robot creates custom components in situ. The result is a dynamic melding of machine and environment. A seamless transition that bypasses the rigid separation of traditional robotic design.<\/p>\n

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An obstacle course simulating a disaster zone and lined with sharp glass shards is made passable by in situ spinning a movement pathway. After spin modification, even a toy car rolled easily on the spun pathway. Instead of extremely complex articulated robot bodies, embodied intelligence between a polymeric fiber and a complex environment facilitates movement in unstructured environments. Credit: Authors, CC-4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a series<\/a> of experiments, the team showcased the robot’s remarkable ability to operate in complex environments. In one demonstration, the machine spun a continuous, flexible fiber network across a simulated debris field, building its own bridge over obstacles indifferently whether the path was lined with razor-sharp glass shards or soft bird feathers.<\/p>\n

In another test, the robot spun itself a fibrous “limb” to gently retrieve a fragile flower, illustrating a level of dexterity that predesigned embodiments cannot match.<\/p>\n

The team demonstrated indiscriminate adhesion and anchoring of in-situ spun webs on virtually any substrate, regardless of shape, material, or state of aggregation. Much like spiderwebs, the synthetic web leveraged both physical adhesion and mechanical entanglement to secure itself to a broad range of supports.<\/p>\n

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In situ spinning bridges voids between walls. The video shows the gradual development of a funnel-shaped pathway. Credit: Authors, CC-4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In experiments, the web successfully anchored on challenging surfaces such as Teflon, a sponge saturated with mineral oil, and a waxy plant leaf.<\/p>\n

“Our app<\/a>roach takes a cue from spiders as nature’s ingenious engineers, yet we found a loophole that lets us sidestep the limitations and excessive complexity of directly imitating spiders,” said Marie Vihmar, lead author of the study published<\/a> in npj Robotics<\/i>.<\/p>\n

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With a background in design studies, Vihmar brings a fresh perspective on non-anthropocentric design and how the form and shape of materials create functionality, while the senior author Indrek Must, who is trained in material science<\/a>, ensures the technological robustness of the innovation.<\/p>\n