Beetle-Inspired Soft Robot Follows Finger Commands to Walk, Grip and Relay Sensory Information

Researchers from KAIST, Caltech, and NTU have developed BeetleBot, a soft robot that can be controlled by finger gestures. The robot uses artificial muscles, a camera, and tactile sensors to walk, grip objects, and relay sensory data. It is designed for remote tasks like inspecting narrow spaces and retrieving small objects. While the system demonstrates bidirectional feedback and real-time control, further improvements in actuation speed and energy efficiency are needed for broader applications.