Robotic arms built from stiffness-adjustable, continuously bending segments serially connected with revolute joints have the ability to change their mechanical architecture and workspace, thus allowing high flexibility and adaptation to different tasks with less than six degrees of freedom, a concept that we call malleable robots. Known stiffening mechanisms may be used to implement suitable links for these novel robotic manipulators; however, these solutions usually show a reduced performance when bending due to structural deformation. By including an inner support structure this deformation can be minimised, resulting in an increased stiffening performance. This paper presents a new multi-material spine-inspired flexible structure for providing support in stiffness-controllable layer-jamming-based robotic links of large diameter. The proposed spine mechanism is highly movable with type and range of motions that match those of a robotic link using solely layer jamming, whilst maintaining a hollow and light structure. The mechanics and design of the flexible spine are explored, and a prototype of a link utilising it is developed and compared with limb segments based on granular jamming and layer jamming without support structure. Results of experiments verify the advantages of the proposed design, demonstrating that it maintains a constant central diameter across bending angles and presents an improvement of more than 203% of resisting force at 180 degrees.

A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo developed a pair of humanoid robots that can carry out a wide range of life-like activities -- such as doing push ups, sit ups, and stretches as well as playing badminton and other complicated motions -- in a less mechanical manner compared with most automatons. The robots, called Kengoro and Kenshiro, were designed in such a way that mimics the human body's muscular and skeletal systems. Kenshiro was developed between 2011 and 2014, while Kengoro was developed from 2015 onward. "For at least the last two millennia, human beings have endeavored to understand the systems and mechanisms that make up the human body. However, a limitation of conventional humanoids is that they have been designed on the basis of the theories of conventional engineering, mechanics, electronics, and informatics," lead researcher Yuki Asano told Daily Mail online. The scientists used aluminum, steel, and plastic as a frame for the humanoid robots.

A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo developed a pair of humanoid robots that can carry out a wide range of life-like activities -- such as doing push ups, sit ups, and stretches as well as playing badminton and other complicated motions -- in a less mechanical manner compared with most automatons. The robots, called Kengoro and Kenshiro, were designed in such a way that mimics the human body's muscular and skeletal systems. Kenshiro was developed between 2011 and 2014, while Kengoro was developed from 2015 onward. "For at least the last two millennia, human beings have endeavored to understand the systems and mechanisms that make up the human body. However, a limitation of conventional humanoids is that they have been designed on the basis of the theories of conventional engineering, mechanics, electronics, and informatics," lead researcher Yuki Asano told Daily Mail online. The scientists used aluminum, steel, and plastic as a frame for the humanoid robots.