TED2018
Giada Gerboni: The incredible potential of flexible, soft robots
Filmed:
Readability: 4.7
1,397,702 views
Robots are designed for speed and precision -- but their rigidity has often limited how they're used. In this illuminating talk, biomedical engineer Giada Gerboni shares the latest developments in "soft robotics," an emerging field that aims to create nimble machines that imitate nature, like a robotic octopus. Learn more about how these flexible structures could play a critical role in surgery, medicine and our daily lives.
Giada Gerboni - Biomedical engineer
Giada Gerboni works in surgical robotics, supporting surgeons with new flexible robotic devices in order to make once impossible operations a reality. Full bio
Giada Gerboni works in surgical robotics, supporting surgeons with new flexible robotic devices in order to make once impossible operations a reality. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
So, robots.
0
1531
1837
00:15
Robots can be programmed
1
3392
1414
00:16
to do the same task millions of times
with minimal error,
with minimal error,
2
4830
3691
00:20
something very difficult for us, right?
3
8545
2514
00:23
And it can be very impressive
to watch them at work.
to watch them at work.
4
11083
3161
00:26
Look at them.
5
14268
1256
00:27
I could watch them for hours.
6
15548
1908
00:30
No?
7
18108
1299
00:31
What is less impressive
8
19431
2207
00:33
is that if you take these robots
out of the factories,
out of the factories,
9
21662
2933
00:36
where the environments are not
perfectly known and measured like here,
perfectly known and measured like here,
10
24619
4380
00:41
to do even a simple task
which doesn't require much precision,
which doesn't require much precision,
11
29023
4278
00:45
this is what can happen.
12
33325
1611
00:46
I mean, opening a door,
you don't require much precision.
you don't require much precision.
13
34960
2729
00:49
(Laughter)
14
37713
1030
00:50
Or a small error in the measurements,
15
38767
2454
00:53
he misses the valve, and that's it --
16
41245
1826
00:55
(Laughter)
17
43095
1270
00:56
with no way of recovering,
most of the time.
most of the time.
18
44389
2444
00:59
So why is that?
19
47561
1675
01:01
Well, for many years,
20
49260
1874
01:03
robots have been designed
to emphasize speed and precision,
to emphasize speed and precision,
21
51158
3300
01:06
and this translates
into a very specific architecture.
into a very specific architecture.
22
54482
2962
01:09
If you take a robot arm,
23
57468
1151
01:10
it's a very well-defined
set of rigid links
set of rigid links
24
58643
2759
01:13
and motors, what we call actuators,
25
61426
2059
01:15
they move the links about the joints.
26
63509
1770
01:17
In this robotic structure,
27
65303
1307
01:18
you have to perfectly
measure your environment,
measure your environment,
28
66624
2227
01:20
so what is around,
29
68865
1897
01:22
and you have to perfectly
program every movement
program every movement
30
70786
2639
01:25
of the robot joints,
31
73449
2135
01:27
because a small error
can generate a very large fault,
can generate a very large fault,
32
75608
3262
01:30
so you can damage something
or you can get your robot damaged
or you can get your robot damaged
33
78894
3013
01:33
if something is harder.
34
81931
1531
01:36
So let's talk about them a moment.
35
84107
2205
01:38
And don't think
about the brains of these robots
about the brains of these robots
36
86336
3223
01:41
or how carefully we program them,
37
89583
2745
01:44
but rather look at their bodies.
38
92352
1818
01:46
There is obviously
something wrong with it,
something wrong with it,
39
94606
2879
01:49
because what makes a robot
precise and strong
precise and strong
40
97509
3127
01:52
also makes them ridiculously dangerous
and ineffective in the real world,
and ineffective in the real world,
41
100660
4389
01:57
because their body cannot deform
42
105073
1985
01:59
or better adjust to the interaction
with the real world.
with the real world.
43
107082
3229
02:03
So think about the opposite approach,
44
111226
3118
02:06
being softer than
anything else around you.
anything else around you.
45
114368
2818
02:09
Well, maybe you think that you're not
really able to do anything if you're soft,
really able to do anything if you're soft,
46
117827
5085
02:14
probably.
47
122936
1167
02:16
Well, nature teaches us the opposite.
48
124127
2850
02:19
For example, at the bottom of the ocean,
49
127001
2031
02:21
under thousands of pounds
of hydrostatic pressure,
of hydrostatic pressure,
50
129056
2436
02:23
a completely soft animal
51
131516
2428
02:25
can move and interact
with a much stiffer object than him.
with a much stiffer object than him.
52
133968
3277
02:29
He walks by carrying around
this coconut shell
this coconut shell
53
137878
2847
02:32
thanks to the flexibility
of his tentacles,
of his tentacles,
54
140749
2384
02:35
which serve as both his feet and hands.
55
143157
2504
02:38
And apparently,
an octopus can also open a jar.
an octopus can also open a jar.
56
146241
3825
02:43
It's pretty impressive, right?
57
151883
1754
02:47
But clearly, this is not enabled
just by the brain of this animal,
just by the brain of this animal,
58
155918
4500
02:52
but also by his body,
59
160442
2014
02:54
and it's a clear example,
maybe the clearest example,
maybe the clearest example,
60
162480
4032
02:58
of embodied intelligence,
61
166536
1800
03:00
which is a kind of intelligence
that all living organisms have.
that all living organisms have.
62
168360
3286
03:03
We all have that.
63
171670
1566
03:05
Our body, its shape,
material and structure,
material and structure,
64
173260
3842
03:09
plays a fundamental role
during a physical task,
during a physical task,
65
177126
3182
03:12
because we can conform to our environment
66
180332
5613
03:17
so we can succeed in a large
variety of situations
variety of situations
67
185969
2404
03:20
without much planning
or calculations ahead.
or calculations ahead.
68
188397
2993
03:23
So why don't we put
some of this embodied intelligence
some of this embodied intelligence
69
191414
2715
03:26
into our robotic machines,
70
194153
1555
03:27
to release them from relying
on excessive work
on excessive work
71
195732
2349
03:30
on computation and sensing?
72
198105
2017
03:33
Well, to do that, we can follow
the strategy of nature,
the strategy of nature,
73
201097
2650
03:35
because with evolution,
she's done a pretty good job
she's done a pretty good job
74
203771
2612
03:38
in designing machines
for environment interaction.
for environment interaction.
75
206407
4496
03:42
And it's easy to notice that nature
uses soft material frequently
uses soft material frequently
76
210927
4494
03:47
and stiff material sparingly.
77
215445
2295
03:49
And this is what is done
in this new field or robotics,
in this new field or robotics,
78
217764
3792
03:53
which is called "soft robotics,"
79
221580
2300
03:55
in which the main objective
is not to make super-precise machines,
is not to make super-precise machines,
80
223904
3736
03:59
because we've already got them,
81
227664
1937
04:01
but to make robots able to face
unexpected situations in the real world,
unexpected situations in the real world,
82
229625
4920
04:06
so able to go out there.
83
234569
1557
04:08
And what makes a robot soft
is first of all its compliant body,
is first of all its compliant body,
84
236150
3524
04:11
which is made of materials or structures
that can undergo very large deformations,
that can undergo very large deformations,
85
239698
5531
04:17
so no more rigid links,
86
245253
1831
04:19
and secondly, to move them,
we use what we call distributed actuation,
we use what we call distributed actuation,
87
247108
3548
04:22
so we have to control continuously
the shape of this very deformable body,
the shape of this very deformable body,
88
250680
5032
04:27
which has the effect
of having a lot of links and joints,
of having a lot of links and joints,
89
255736
3298
04:31
but we don't have
any stiff structure at all.
any stiff structure at all.
90
259058
2623
04:33
So you can imagine that building
a soft robot is a very different process
a soft robot is a very different process
91
261705
3430
04:37
than stiff robotics,
where you have links, gears, screws
where you have links, gears, screws
92
265159
2880
04:40
that you must combine
in a very defined way.
in a very defined way.
93
268063
2231
04:42
In soft robots, you just build
your actuator from scratch
your actuator from scratch
94
270948
3525
04:46
most of the time,
95
274497
1151
04:47
but you shape your flexible material
96
275672
2382
04:50
to the form that responds
to a certain input.
to a certain input.
97
278078
2403
04:53
For example, here,
you can just deform a structure
you can just deform a structure
98
281054
2458
04:55
doing a fairly complex shape
99
283536
2471
04:58
if you think about doing the same
with rigid links and joints,
with rigid links and joints,
100
286031
3278
05:01
and here, what you use is just one input,
101
289333
2333
05:03
such as air pressure.
102
291690
1364
05:05
OK, but let's see
some cool examples of soft robots.
some cool examples of soft robots.
103
293869
3489
05:09
Here is a little cute guy
developed at Harvard University,
developed at Harvard University,
104
297765
4547
05:14
and he walks thanks to waves
of pressure applied along its body,
of pressure applied along its body,
105
302336
4493
05:18
and thanks to the flexibility,
he can also sneak under a low bridge,
he can also sneak under a low bridge,
106
306853
3286
05:22
keep walking,
107
310163
1151
05:23
and then keep walking
a little bit different afterwards.
a little bit different afterwards.
108
311338
3197
05:27
And it's a very preliminary prototype,
109
315345
2231
05:29
but they also built a more robust version
with power on board
with power on board
110
317600
3676
05:33
that can actually be sent out in the world
and face real-world interactions
and face real-world interactions
111
321300
5447
05:38
like a car passing it over it ...
112
326771
1706
05:42
and keep working.
113
330090
1150
05:44
It's cute.
114
332056
1151
05:45
(Laughter)
115
333231
1421
05:46
Or a robotic fish, which swims
like a real fish does in water
like a real fish does in water
116
334676
3864
05:50
simply because it has a soft tail
with distributed actuation
with distributed actuation
117
338564
3184
05:53
using still air pressure.
118
341772
1644
05:55
That was from MIT,
119
343954
1358
05:57
and of course, we have a robotic octopus.
120
345336
2805
06:00
This was actually one
of the first projects
of the first projects
121
348165
2079
06:02
developed in this new field
of soft robots.
of soft robots.
122
350268
2126
06:04
Here, you see the artificial tentacle,
123
352418
1886
06:06
but they actually built an entire machine
with several tentacles
with several tentacles
124
354328
4679
06:11
they could just throw in the water,
125
359031
2611
06:13
and you see that it can kind of go around
and do submarine exploration
and do submarine exploration
126
361666
4293
06:17
in a different way
than rigid robots would do.
than rigid robots would do.
127
365983
3303
06:21
But this is very important for delicate
environments, such as coral reefs.
environments, such as coral reefs.
128
369310
3660
06:24
Let's go back to the ground.
129
372994
1396
06:26
Here, you see the view
130
374414
1190
06:27
from a growing robot developed
by my colleagues in Stanford.
by my colleagues in Stanford.
131
375628
4148
06:31
You see the camera fixed on top.
132
379800
1850
06:33
And this robot is particular,
133
381674
1438
06:35
because using air pressure,
it grows from the tip,
it grows from the tip,
134
383136
2416
06:37
while the rest of the body stays
in firm contact with the environment.
in firm contact with the environment.
135
385576
3346
06:41
And this is inspired
by plants, not animals,
by plants, not animals,
136
389316
2718
06:44
which grows via the material
in a similar manner
in a similar manner
137
392058
3315
06:47
so it can face a pretty large
variety of situations.
variety of situations.
138
395397
2960
06:51
But I'm a biomedical engineer,
139
399043
1668
06:52
and perhaps the application
I like the most
I like the most
140
400735
2269
06:55
is in the medical field,
141
403028
1453
06:56
and it's very difficult to imagine
a closer interaction with the human body
a closer interaction with the human body
142
404505
4841
07:01
than actually going inside the body,
143
409370
1919
07:03
for example, to perform
a minimally invasive procedure.
a minimally invasive procedure.
144
411313
2771
07:06
And here, robots can be
very helpful with the surgeon,
very helpful with the surgeon,
145
414958
3402
07:10
because they must enter the body
146
418384
1749
07:12
using small holes
and straight instruments,
and straight instruments,
147
420157
2627
07:14
and these instruments must interact
with very delicate structures
with very delicate structures
148
422808
3510
07:18
in a very uncertain environment,
149
426342
2048
07:20
and this must be done safely.
150
428414
1675
07:22
Also bringing the camera inside the body,
151
430113
2112
07:24
so bringing the eyes of the surgeon
inside the surgical field
inside the surgical field
152
432249
3618
07:27
can be very challenging
if you use a rigid stick,
if you use a rigid stick,
153
435891
2351
07:30
like a classic endoscope.
154
438266
1607
07:32
With my previous research group in Europe,
155
440517
2589
07:35
we developed this
soft camera robot for surgery,
soft camera robot for surgery,
156
443130
2596
07:37
which is very different
from a classic endoscope,
from a classic endoscope,
157
445750
3768
07:41
which can move thanks
to the flexibility of the module
to the flexibility of the module
158
449542
3104
07:44
that can bend in every direction
and also elongate.
and also elongate.
159
452670
4888
07:49
And this was actually used by surgeons
to see what they were doing
to see what they were doing
160
457582
3110
07:52
with other instruments
from different points of view,
from different points of view,
161
460716
2738
07:55
without caring that much
about what was touched around.
about what was touched around.
162
463478
3206
07:59
And here you see the soft robot in action,
163
467247
3743
08:03
and it just goes inside.
164
471014
2818
08:05
This is a body simulator,
not a real human body.
not a real human body.
165
473856
3269
08:09
It goes around.
166
477149
1151
08:10
You have a light, because usually,
167
478324
1674
08:12
you don't have too many lights
inside your body.
inside your body.
168
480022
3121
08:15
We hope.
169
483167
1173
08:16
(Laughter)
170
484364
3002
08:19
But sometimes, a surgical procedure
can even be done using a single needle,
can even be done using a single needle,
171
487390
4698
08:24
and in Stanford now, we are working
on a very flexible needle,
on a very flexible needle,
172
492112
4047
08:28
kind of a very tiny soft robot
173
496183
2652
08:30
which is mechanically designed
to use the interaction with the tissues
to use the interaction with the tissues
174
498859
3294
08:34
and steer around inside a solid organ.
175
502177
2230
08:36
This makes it possible to reach
many different targets, such as tumors,
many different targets, such as tumors,
176
504431
4080
08:40
deep inside a solid organ
177
508535
1698
08:42
by using one single insertion point.
178
510257
2325
08:44
And you can even steer around
the structure that you want to avoid
the structure that you want to avoid
179
512606
4039
08:48
on the way to the target.
180
516669
1364
08:51
So clearly, this is a pretty
exciting time for robotics.
exciting time for robotics.
181
519377
3305
08:54
We have robots that have to deal
with soft structures,
with soft structures,
182
522706
3153
08:57
so this poses new
and very challenging questions
and very challenging questions
183
525883
2585
09:00
for the robotics community,
184
528492
1357
09:01
and indeed, we are just starting
to learn how to control,
to learn how to control,
185
529873
2675
09:04
how to put sensors
on these very flexible structures.
on these very flexible structures.
186
532572
3004
09:07
But of course, we are not even close
to what nature figured out
to what nature figured out
187
535600
2960
09:10
in millions of years of evolution.
188
538584
2194
09:12
But one thing I know for sure:
189
540802
2104
09:14
robots will be softer and safer,
190
542930
2516
09:17
and they will be out there helping people.
191
545470
2982
09:20
Thank you.
192
548809
1151
09:21
(Applause)
193
549984
4412
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Giada Gerboni - Biomedical engineerGiada Gerboni works in surgical robotics, supporting surgeons with new flexible robotic devices in order to make once impossible operations a reality.
Why you should listen
Giada Gerboni is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, in the Collaborative Haptics and Robotics in Medicine (CHARM) Lab. Gerboni is working on the design and control of needle-sized flexible robots, work that aims to improve current percutaneous tumor ablation procedures. As she says: "One of the most exciting parts of this research is to enable surgical operations in ways that, not long ago, had not yet been conceived."
Gerboni received BE and MS degrees in biomedical engineering from the University of Pisa and a PhD in biorobotics from The BioRobotics Institute of Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy. During her PhD, she specialized in surgical robotics, studying and developing innovative strategies for the actuation and sensing of soft and flexible instruments for applications in MIS (Minimally Invasive Surgery).
A new branch of robotics, called "soft robotics," is expanding the boundaries of robotic applications. Soft robotics faces the grand challenge of increasing the capabilities of robots to make them more suitable for physical interactions with the real world. It involves use of soft and flexible materials, deformable sensors and very different control strategies than traditional robots, which are designed to work in well-defined and confined environments. Gerboni has been involved in this field from the time of her PhD, and since then she has been exploring its potential in the medical/surgical area, where safe robot-environment interaction is crucial.
Giada Gerboni | Speaker | TED.com