Imagine a world where robots creep up on you: Electric motors just a gentle whir, hard shells changing color to blend in with their surroundings. Well, there’s no need to imagine—it’s happened.

A newly developed rubbery, octopuslike robot can change colors to hide or stand out in its environment. Scientists at Harvard have recently begun developing flexible robots from elastic plastics and ...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpOl_pEmRqs&feature=player_embedded] Soft robots are made of silicone and use hydraulic controls to move across a surface or ...

A team of researchers led by George Whitesides, the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor, has already broken new engineering ground with the development of soft, silicone-based robots ...

The ancient philosopher Aristotle was famously fascinated by the chameleon’s ability to change color at will. Over 2,000 years later, the sui generis reptile remains an object of scientific curiosity.

A new soft, quivering robot walks when inflated and changes color when colored fluid—including glow-in-the-dark liquid—is pumped into its "body." Researchers at Harvard University have made a soft, ...

Scientists at the University of California (UC), Riverside have created a new type of ultra-thin film with an incredible ability to change color as it is twisted or bent. Such a material, the ...

Last year, we covered a radically different approach to robotics. Instead of the hard, mechanical skeletons that are features of most robots, a team was inspired by squid, and built a soft, flexible ...

Robots have got pretty good at picking up objects. But give them something shiny or clear, and the poor droids will likely lose their grip. Not ideal if you want a kitchen robot that can slice you a ...

A newly developed rubbery, octopuslike robot can change colors to hide or stand out in its environment. Scientists at Harvard have recently begun developing flexible robots from elastic plastics and ...