MIT engineers have 3D-printed a walking robot

Planned in labs, the 3D printer gave them form, layering their bodies into being. The robots were softer than the ones we'd come to fear, their gently wriggling bodies more caterpillar than Terminator. Once it was removed from its mechanical womb, the creators hooked up some batteries and gave it the spark of life. Made by MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, this robot walks with hydraulic bellows, fluid pumping in and out to turn a crankshaft that moves the legs back and forth. All parts of the robot, apart from the batteries, wires, and motor, are 3D printed.