创新背景

大多数软体机器人的一个重大限制是，它们必须连接到一个笨重的空气压缩机或插在墙上，这使它们无法移动。

创新过程

斯坦福大学(Stanford University)的研究人员开发了一种新型的软体机器人，它借鉴了传统机器人的特点，既安全又能保持移动和改变形状的能力。

研究人员最终研制出了一个人形大小的软体机器人，它可以改变形状，可以抓取和处理物体，并在可控的方向上滚动。这个机器人的描述是《超能陆战队》和《变形金刚》的结合。换句话说，这是一个柔软的、安全的机器人，混合了可以显著改变形状的机器人。

这个机器人最简单的版本是一个膨胀的管子，穿过三个小机器，把它捏成一个三角形。一台机器将管子的两端固定在一起;另外两个机器人沿着管道驱动，通过移动机器人的角落来改变机器人的整体形状。研究人员称它为“等周机器人”，因为尽管它的形状发生了巨大的变化，但边缘的总长度——以及内部空气的数量——保持不变。

等周机器人是软体机器人、桁架机器人和集体机器人三种机器人的后代。软机器人重量轻且柔韧，桁架机器人具有可以改变形状的几何形状，集体机器人是一起工作的小型机器人，这使得它们在面对单一部件故障时特别强大。

为了制造一个更复杂的机器人，研究人员只需将几个三角形连接在一起。通过协调不同电机的运动，它们可以使机器人执行不同的行为，例如通过三面吞没捡起一个球或改变机器人的质心使其滚动。

创新价值

软体机器人领域相对较年轻，这意味着人们仍在寻找这些新发明的最佳应用。它们安全但坚固的柔软度可能使它们在家庭和工作场所有用，而传统的机器人可能会造成伤害。新型机器人也可被用作救灾工具。

创新关键点

等周机器人是软体机器人、桁架机器人和集体机器人三种机器人的后代。软机器人重量轻且柔韧，桁架机器人具有可以改变形状的几何形状，集体机器人是一起工作的小型机器人，这使得它们在面对单一部件故障时特别强大。

A new isoperimetric robot is developed by combining various traditional robot characteristics

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new type of soft robot that borrowings features from traditional robots that are both safe and retain the ability to move and change shape.
The researchers ended up with a humanoid sized soft robot that can change shape, grasp and process objects, and roll in a controlled direction. The description of this robot is a cross between Big Hero 6 and Transformers. In other words, it's a soft, safe robot mixed with robots that can change shape significantly.
The simplest version of the robot is an inflated tube that is threaded through three small machines, pinching it into a triangle. A machine holds the two ends of the tube together; The other two robots drive along the pipe, changing the overall shape of the robot by moving its corners. The researchers call it an "isobimetic robot" because although its shape changes dramatically, the total length of the edges - and the amount of air inside - remains the same.
Isoperimetric robot is the descendant of soft robot, truss robot and collective robot. Soft robots are lightweight and flexible, truss robots have geometry that can change shape, and collective robots are small robots that work together, making them particularly powerful in the face of a single component failure.
To build a more complex robot, the researchers simply connect a few triangles together. By coordinating the motion of different motors, they can make the robot perform different behaviors, such as picking up a ball by engulfing three sides or changing the robot's center of mass to make it roll.