Soft robots have struggled to support large forces and moments while also supporting their own weight against gravity. This limits their ability to reach certain configurations necessary for tasks such as inspection and pushing objects up. We have overcome this limitation by creating an electrically driven metamaterial soft arm using handed shearing auxetics (HSA) and bendable extendable torque resistant (BETR) shafts. These use the large force and torque capacity of HSAs and the nestable torque transmission of BETRs to create a strong soft arm. We found that the HSA arm was able to push 2.3 kg vertically and lift more than 600 g when positioned horizontally, supporting 0.33 Nm of torque at the base. The arm is able to move between waypoints while carrying the large payload and demonstrates consistent movement with path variance below 5 mm. The HSA arm's ability to perform active grasping with HSA grippers was also demonstrated, requiring 20 N of pull force to dislodge the object. Finally, we test the arm in a pipe inspection task. The arm is able to locate all the defects while sliding against the inner surface of the pipe, demonstrating its compliance.

Nowhere is prompt and effective medical treatment more important than on the battlefield, where injuries are severe and conditions dangerous. DARPA thinks that outcomes can be improved by the use of intelligent bandages and other systems that predict and automatically react to the patient's needs. Ordinary cuts and scrapes just need a bit of shelter and time and your amazing immune system takes care of things. But soldiers not only receive far graver wounds, but under complex conditions that are not just a barrier to healing but unpredictably so. DARPA's Bioelectronics for Tissue Regeneration program, or BETR, will help fund new treatments and devices that "closely track the progress of the wound and then stimulate healing processes in real time to optimize tissue repair and regeneration." "Wounds are living environments and the conditions change quickly as cells and tissues communicate and attempt to repair," said Paul Sheehan, BETR program manager, in a DARPA news release.