Scientists from EPFL and TU Delft have created a bio-inspired robot arm with unmatched flexibility, dexterity and human safety. Its trunk-like design enables nimble omnidirectional motion ideal for various assisted tasks.

The elephantine manipulator combines soft exterior mesh with interior electric drives connected by pliable joints. By finely controlling the tension throughout the structure, the arm can bend, twist and deform in complex ways surpassing rigid robotic limbs.

This bestows human-safe compliance, protecting both people and itself during inadvertent collisions. The gentle surface mesh also allows versatile wrapping motions for jobs like fruit picking or conveyor loading.

Yet within the soft robot lies actuated rigidity for strength and precision when needed. This unique blend of capabilities expands the scope of human-robot collaboration.

"Our new architectural structure enables controllability, motion range and safety exceeding robots today," said EPFL professor Josie Hughes. "It's ideal for agricultural work, elderly care, production lines and more."

Rather than concentrating drives in discrete joints, the distributed actuation runs as a spine through the core. Surrounding mesh geometry then transfers forces to deform the overall shape.

By tuning the variable tension of the arm, researchers can finely control its compliant motions. This balances versatility, precision and resilience unlike conventional designs.

Bringing this technology to real applications, the team is now commercializing it through the spinoff Helix Robotics. The elephant-inspired arm points toward collaborative robots that are both capable yet intrinsically safe.

"Combining the new architecture with distributed control enables a highly dexterous manipulator that can safely interact with humans," Hughes said.

This breakthrough promises to expand the scope of automation to new domains relying on flexible, adaptable and harmless physical assistance. By mimicking the strengths of nature's flexible trunks and tentacles, this technology opens new possibilities for harmless human-robot collaboration.