Building soft sensors into soft robots

After I finished my work on the CuddleBits, I was given a new design task: how do we get a breathing robot that can bend at the same time? As a result, I had to learn about soft robotic design and ended up developing new ways of quickly prototyping carbon black and silicone-based sensors.

We ended up developing a way to laser cut beeswax and use as a way to create lost wax chambers for air to actuate the silicone devices.

One of the prototypes being twisted and stretched.
One of the prototypes being actuated with air.