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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Engineers Create a LEGO-Like 3D Printed Robot That Rebuilds Itself for Any Job In Minutes

Imagine a robot that can change its shape, stiffness, and movement depending on the task it needs to perform. One moment it is inspecting the inside of an aircraft wing, the next it is crawling through narrow pipes, and later it is gently handling fragile objects like eggs. Instead of building a completely new robot for every job, scientists have now developed a modular system that allows robots to be quickly reconfigured within minutes.

This breakthrough, called CRAFT (Configurable Robotic Assembly Framework for Tendon-driven continuum robots), could make soft robotics more affordable, flexible, and practical for industries ranging from aviation to manufacturing and healthcare.

Why Soft Robots Need an Upgrade

Unlike traditional robots made from rigid metal parts, continuum robots are soft and flexible. They bend smoothly like an elephant's trunk, an octopus arm, or a snake's body. Their flexibility makes them much safer around humans and allows them to reach places that rigid robots simply cannot.

These robots are already being explored for applications such as medical procedures, industrial inspections, search-and-rescue missions, and delicate object handling.

However, their biggest advantage is also their biggest weakness.

Because they are soft, continuum robots often struggle to carry heavy loads or maintain their shape while performing demanding tasks. If engineers make them stiffer, they lose flexibility. If they make them more flexible, they become weaker. Finding the right balance has always been a major engineering challenge.

The Problem with Traditional Robot Design

Until now, creating a continuum robot for a specific task usually meant designing an entirely new machine from scratch.

For example:

  • A robot for inspecting aircraft would need one design.

  • A pipe-inspection robot would require another.

  • A robotic hand for delicate objects would need a completely different structure.

Designing, testing, and manufacturing each version takes months of work, making the process expensive and time-consuming.

Researchers wanted a smarter solution.

Introducing CRAFT

A research team led by Dewi and colleagues has developed CRAFT, a modular design library for tendon-driven continuum robots.

Instead of building a brand-new robot every time, engineers can now assemble robots using a collection of interchangeable modules—similar to building with LEGO blocks.

Each module is 3D printed, inexpensive, and designed to provide different mechanical properties.

By swapping or rearranging these modules, engineers can create robots with different levels of stiffness, flexibility, and movement without redesigning the entire machine.

Even better, the reconfiguration takes only a few minutes.

Six Modules, Endless Possibilities

The CRAFT system includes six different modules, each offering unique characteristics.

Some modules are:

  • More flexible for bending.

  • Stiffer for carrying loads.

  • Better at twisting.

  • Designed for different ranges of motion.

Because every module behaves differently, engineers can combine them in countless ways to create robots optimized for specific jobs.

This modular approach allows rapid customization while using the same basic building blocks.

Carefully Tested for Real Performance

Before using the modules in real robots, the researchers carefully tested each one.

They measured how every module responded to different types of forces, including:

  • Bending

  • Compression

  • Stretching

  • Twisting

These experiments created a detailed performance database, helping engineers predict exactly how a robot will behave after combining different modules.

This makes robot design much faster and more reliable.

Robot 1: Inspecting Aircraft Wings

One demonstration focused on aircraft maintenance.

Modern aircraft have narrow internal spaces inside their wings that are extremely difficult to inspect.

A long, flexible robotic probe can enter these spaces, but excessive bending or sagging makes inspection difficult.

Using CRAFT, researchers quickly reconfigured the robot by selecting modules that provided greater stiffness where needed.

The result was impressive.

The redesigned inspection robot reduced sagging by 41%, making it much easier to navigate tight spaces while maintaining stability.

This improvement could help aircraft inspections become faster, safer, and more accurate.

Robot 2: Crawling Through Pipes

The second demonstration involved a pipe-crawling robot designed for confined environments.

Industries such as oil and gas, water supply, and chemical manufacturing often require robots to inspect pipelines where humans cannot safely enter.

Using the modular CRAFT system, researchers created a robot capable of navigating extremely challenging conditions.

The robot successfully:

  • Crawled through a 90-degree pipe bend

  • Climbed a 30-degree incline

These abilities show that modular continuum robots can adapt to complex industrial environments without requiring completely new designs.

Robot 3: A Gentle Robotic Hand

The third demonstration highlighted one of the most challenging tasks in robotics—handling fragile objects.

Researchers assembled a soft robotic hand using CRAFT modules.

To test its precision, they gave it an unusual task involving eggs.

The robotic hand achieved an 85% success rate while manipulating eggs during the experiment, demonstrating excellent control and delicate handling.

Such technology could eventually be used in food processing, agriculture, electronics manufacturing, or healthcare, where gentle handling is essential.

Why Modular Robotics Matters

The biggest achievement of CRAFT is not just building three successful robots.

Its real innovation lies in changing how robots are designed.

Instead of asking engineers to redesign every robot for every application, CRAFT provides reusable building blocks that can be combined in different ways.

This offers several important benefits:

  • Faster robot development

  • Lower manufacturing costs

  • Easier maintenance

  • Rapid customization

  • Reduced engineering effort

Companies could build an entire family of robots using the same collection of modules.

Affordable Thanks to 3D Printing

Another major advantage is cost.

Since all modules are designed for 3D printing, they can be manufactured quickly and inexpensively.

If a module breaks, only that part needs to be replaced instead of rebuilding the entire robot.

This makes the technology especially attractive for research laboratories, universities, startups, and industries that want affordable robotic solutions.

Future Applications

The researchers believe modular continuum robots could be used in many fields.

Possible future applications include:

  • Medical robots for minimally invasive surgery

  • Industrial inspection systems

  • Search-and-rescue robots

  • Space exploration

  • Underwater inspection

  • Agricultural harvesting

  • Warehouse automation

  • Nuclear facility inspection

As more specialized modules are developed, the range of possible robot designs will continue to grow.

A New Direction for Soft Robotics

For years, engineers have struggled to balance flexibility and strength in continuum robots. CRAFT offers a practical solution by replacing one-off robot designs with a modular system that can be quickly adapted to different tasks.

Its successful demonstrations—from aircraft inspections and pipe navigation to delicate object handling—show that modular design can deliver high performance without sacrificing versatility.

As soft robotics continues to evolve, systems like CRAFT could significantly reduce development time while making advanced robots more accessible across industries. Rather than designing a new robot for every challenge, future engineers may simply rearrange a set of intelligent building blocks to create the perfect machine for the job.

Reference: Dewi, P.T., Pogue, C., Shentu, C. et al. CRAFT: a 3D-printed modular design library for task-specific continuum robots. npj Robot (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44182-026-00107-x

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