TZUTC: -0500   
   MSGID: 2172.consprcy@1:2320/105 2df74687   
   PID: Synchronet 3.21a-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.28-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0   
   BBSID: CAPCITY2   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
   FORMAT: flowed   
   Is this the beginning of the end for humanity? Slightly terrifying 3D printing   
   breakthrough means we can now print robotic 'muscle'   
      
   By Efosa Udinmwen published 5 hours ago   
      
   Speed and simplicity raise safety, oversight, and ethical concerns   
      
       Harvard engineers created robotic muscles using rotational multi-material   
   3D printing techniques   
       Hollow polyurethane tubes filled with air or fluid allow pre-programmed   
   movement   
       A spiral actuator unfurls while a gripper curls fingers around objects   
      
   A team of engineers at Harvard has developed a 3D printing technique that   
   allows fully flexible structures to twist, bend, or lift on demand, creating   
   what researchers describe as robotic "muscle."   
      
   The method, called rotational multi-material 3D printing, merges several   
   printing methods and enables the simultaneous deposition of multiple materials   
   through a single nozzle that rotates continuously while printing.  This allows   
   precise control over how materials interact, producing hollow tubes that can be   
   pressurized to generate movement in a preprogrammed way.   
      
   How the printing method works   
      
   The technique uses a strong outer layer of polyurethane to protect an interior   
   gel-like polymer called poloxamer.  Once the print is finished, the interior   
   gel is removed to leave hollow tubes that act as actuators capable of twisting   
   or bending when filled with air or fluid.   
      
   The researchers demonstrated the process using a spiral, flower-like actuator   
   that unfurls when inflated and a hand-like gripper capable of curling its   
   fingers around objects.   
      
   The nozzle's design, rotation speed, and material flow are calibrated to   
   determine exactly how the printed structure will move, allowing motion logic to   
   be integrated directly during printing.   
      
   Traditional soft robotics requires casting individual components and assembling   
   them layer by layer, a process that is laborious and time-consuming. By   
   contrast, this 3D printing method can produce a complex, functional structure   
   in a single print, with movement logic encoded in the material itself.   
      
   The approach has potential implications for industrial-scale production,   
   potentially reducing both time and cost in the creation of malleable robotic   
   structures.   
      
   The researchers suggest it could accelerate innovation across sectors if scaled   
   successfully, from prosthetics to underwater construction.   
      
   But here comes the scary part... these robots could manipulate objects in   
   crowded or industrial environments, causing accidents if they fail or behave   
   unpredictably.   
      
   Widespread adoption of such highly adaptable robots in workplaces could also   
   accelerate job losses or even major industrial accidents if not properly   
   controlled.   
      
   These scenarios show why some may view the breakthrough's capabilities as   
   slightly terrifying.   
      
   While the breakthrough is impressive, the speed and simplicity of this method   
   raise questions about long-term safety and oversight.   
      
   There are also concerns about the ethical use of programmable robotic muscles   
   in human-adjacent environments.   
      
   Published in Advanced Materials, this technique is now subject to a filed   
   patent, but until it is successfully applied at an industrial scale or in   
   environments where human interaction is involved, its practical impact and   
   potential risks remain uncertain.   
      
      
      
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/slightly-terrifying-3d-printing-breakthr   
   ough-means-we-can-now-print-robotic-muscle-so-is-this-the-beginning-of-the-end-   
   for-humanity   
      
   $$   
   --- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux   
    * Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)   
   SEEN-BY: 105/81 106/201 128/187 129/14 305 153/7715 154/110 218/700   
   SEEN-BY: 226/30 227/114 229/110 134 206 300 307 317 400 426 428 470   
   SEEN-BY: 229/664 700 705 266/512 291/111 320/219 322/757 342/200 396/45   
   SEEN-BY: 460/58 633/280 712/848 902/26 2320/0 105 304 3634/12 5075/35   
   PATH: 2320/105 229/426