The hard facts about soft robots

Fifth graders from Conley Elementary School, in Roslindale, Mass., were treated to cool puzzles and pizzas at the Soft Robotics Workshop, organized by the research group of George Whitesides, Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor, at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences on March 29.

Postdoctoral fellows Sam Root and Jeff Rawson, graduate student Vanessa Sanchez, and undergraduate research assistants Julia Dokko and Jovanna Fazzini explained how soft robots are designed and constructed using highly compliant materials that simulate living organisms. Students learned about the functionality, adaptability, and safety of using such devices in the real world.

From left: Julia Dokko, Vanessa Sanchez, Jovanna Fazzini, Jeff Rawson