BBC: Inspired by the varied body types and camouflage skills of sea creatures, researchers at Harvard University have designed a flexible robot capable of blending in with or standing out from its surroundings. The multilegged prototypes have a rubbery, silicon body covered in a network of tiny channels. Various fluids, which help control the robot’s movements and alter its color and temperature, can be pumped through the channels. The devices have a number of potential uses, including in medicine because they could simulate the look and feel of organs for practicing surgeons, or in search and rescue efforts because they are inexpensive to manufacture and can be made to stand out from their surroundings.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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