Lausanne Scientists Create 3D-Printed Elephant Robot

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) have succeeded in creating a robot elephant using a 3D-printable lattice structure. This content was published on July 17, 2025 - 14:36 3 minutes Keystone-SDA

• Français fr Robot éléphant conçu avec une méthode d'impression 3D bio-inspirée Original Read more: Robot éléphant conçu avec une méthode d'impression 3D bio-inspiré

Using a simple foam, the programmable structure manages to reproduce all the diversity of biological tissues, from a flexible trunk to a rigid bone, EPFL wrote on ThursdayExternal link .

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It is extremely difficult to reproduce musculoskeletal diversity in robotics. The EPFL team led by Josie Hughes addressed this by developing a lattice structure that combines the diversity of biological tissues with robotic control and precision.

The lattice, made from simple foam, is made of individual units, or cells, that can be programmed to take various shapes and positions. The cells can assume more than a million different configurations and can be combined to produce infinite geometric variations.

“We used our programmable technique to build a musculoskeletal-inspired elephant robot with a soft trunk that can twist, bend and rotate, as well as more rigid hip, knee, and foot joints,” explains postdoctoral researcher Qinghua Guan said in the press release.

More Switzerland – where the robots of tomorrow are born

The country is known for its watches, chocolate and pharma industry. But in recent years Switzerland has also become a leader in robotics research.

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