Restriction: permission of department. Students must apply through the VIP@Maryland application process in order to join a VIP team.

Soft robots e.g., robots composed of compliant materials and actuated by fluidic (hydraulic and/or pneumatic) have emerged as powerful alternatives for applications that would be difficult or impossible to realize using traditional, rigid robots. Despite a number of inherent benefits for soft robots, particularly in terms of safety for human-robot interactions, challenges associated with controlling the underlying fluidics of such systems represent key barriers to utility. Recently, Sochol's "Bioinspired Advanced Manufacturing (BAM)" Laboratoryintroduced a strategy for 3D printing soft robots comprising fully integrated fluidiccircuitry in a single print run and demonstrated a soft robotic "hand" capable of beating the first level of Super Mario Bros (youtu.be/5smhhTKb3DM). Unfortunately, this particular approach relied on an expensive (>$100,000) 3D printer. The goal of thisproject is to extend this strategy to inexpensive (e.g., <$500) 3D printers to supportaccessibility and, ultimately, demonstrate its efficacy by engineering soft robots capable of playing video games.