1. I found the soft robotics research group at Harvard University and it seems to be exploring a lot of the things that I was curious about when I explored the octopus tentacle idea in class last week – specifically the advantages of having an amorphous body, no rigid structure. Interesting stuff. Soft Robots – Camoflage; Soft Robots – Explosive Jump

I also found this video about the bat tongue as a source of possible inspiration for biomimetic design, again thinking about soft body structures and their abilities to change form to their advantage. Nat Geo – Bat Tongue Research

2. I came across a project called SHIRI, which is basically a pair of robotic buttocks made to “represents emotions with visual and tactual transformation of the muscles.” I don’t know if I hate it, but I definitely find it a bizarre choice. If the goal is to explore the representation of human emotion through humanistic robotic biomimicry, the buttocks would be one of my last areas of concentration. Mostly I feel confused about their choices. SHIRI – Emotionally Responsive Buttocks