News From the Field

Magnetic 3D-printed structures crawl, roll and jump


June 13, 2018

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers have created soft, 3D-printed structures whose movements can be controlled with a wave of a magnet, much like marionettes without the strings. The menagerie of structures that can be magnetically manipulated includes a smooth ring that wrinkles up, a long tube that squeezes shut, a sheet that folds itself, and a spider-like "grabber" that can crawl, roll, jump and snap together fast enough to catch a passing ball. Full Story

Source
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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