FiloBot: The Robot Grows Like a Plant Using 3D Printing

The use of 3D printing in soft robotics has grown in recent years and is undoubtedly an important resource for researchers in the field, who exploit the possibilities of additive manufacturing to achieve results not otherwise achievable. Filobot is a new project combining biomimicry and 3D printing from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa, Italy. It is a robot inspired by climbing plants that is capable of growing and “self-molding” in 3D.

Self-growing robots are an emerging solution in soft robotics for navigating, exploring and colonizing unstructured environments. However, their ability to grow and move in three-dimensional spaces, comparable to real-world conditions, is still under development. In this case, the study on Filobots, published in the journal Science Robotics, was conducted by the research group of Barbara Mazzolai, Associate Director for Robotics and head of IIT’s Bioinspired Soft Robotics lab.

FiloBot grows based on external stimuli (photo credits: IIT)

FiloBot, the 3D Printed Robot Inspired by Climbing Plants

This is not the first time we have talked about an innovative robotics project carried out at IIT Genoa. Last year we talked about I-Seed, the first robot inspired by a seed and made with 4D printing, whose function is to explore and monitor the ground above ground. Today, Filobot promises similarly viable applications. The robot was created as part of the European GrowBot project and is to date a prototype that has already shown enormous potential.