What if the companion robots of the future abandoned wheels, mechanical legs, and even noisy propellers to simply float around our homes like tiny living creatures? Researchers in Japan and the United States are exploring a new class of soft robots filled with helium, capable of sharing the same space with humans without the danger typically associated with flying machines.
The challenge lies in weight, because 1 L of helium can support approximately 1 g, forcing engineers to use extremely lightweight structures, microservos, compact batteries, and carbon-fiber-reinforced components. Some of the processing can also be performed externally, reducing the amount of onboard hardware, but the most interesting concept is what’s known as “safety through compliance.”
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