The hottest drink of the summer may be the SEAS-colada. Here’s what you need to make it: gin, pineapple juice, coconut milk and a dielectric elastomer actuator-based soft peristaltic pump.

Soft-bodied robots move via pneumatic "muscles" that are selectively inflated or deflated. And while the muscles themselves may be soft and squishy, they're usually hooked up to hard, unwieldy pumps.

(Nanowerk News) The Tin Man didn’t have one. The Grinch’s was three sizes too small. And for soft robots, the electronically powered pumps that function as their “hearts” are so bulky and rigid, they ...

(Nanowerk News) Soft robots have a distinct advantage over their rigid forebears: they can adapt to complex environments, handle fragile objects and interact safely with humans. Made from silicone, ...

Researchers have leveraged hydrodynamic and magnetic forces to drive a rubbery, deformable pump that can provide soft robots with a circulatory system, in effect mimicking the biology of animals. The ...