MIT 3D prints a complete walking robot

The technique involves using an inkjet 3D printer that releases drops of material less than half the width of a human hair. For structural areas, photopolymer is placed on the deck and then hardened with a UV light, while the liquid portions are left alone. After lots of trial and error using different combinations of solids and liquids, the team was able to find a winning setup that can create a working robot in one print session. According to Robert MacCurdy, inkjet printing is "the best way to print multiple materials," and that the technology offers "very fine control of material placement." In order to test the principles, the team built a hexapod that moved thanks to 12 hydraulic pumps built into its body.