Researchers have created a soft robot that can walk through snow, wind, fire and water without being significantly damaged.

Engineers and scientists from a number of universities, including Harvard, came together to create the silicone-based robot which was built with materials costing a total of $1,111.

They tested it by making it walk through snow, in temperatures averaging −9°C and winds averaging 25mph, and fire.

The robot can function for two hours powered by a battery, or for longer if it uses a light-weight electrical tether. It is able to carry up to 8kg of load, which can include video and audio equipment.

The research paper, which details the abilities of the robot, concludes: “The design of the soft robot presented here has the additional advantages over previous hard and soft robots of autonomy of power, good operation time between battery charges, the capabilities of audio and video sensing, and the capacity to carry larger payloads for a desired task.”

The robot is the latest development in the field of soft robotics, which is growing rapidly thanks to new materials and technological progress.

Recently researchers from MIT and Google-owned robotics company Boston Dynamics developed a material that can switch between hard and soft states.

They said the material can help to lead to the creation of low-cost, morphing robots, and could potentially be used to create robots for rescue operations.

Despite its advances over already existing soft robots, the researchers concluded that some elements of their new design can be improved upon for future robots.

One challenge they outlined is to increase the speed of the robot, but it may be possible for them to change the design so that it can move faster.

The research findings were published in peer reviewed journal Soft Robotics and the publication’s editor Barry Trimmer said the robot will lead to a greater use of the types of robots. “This paper marks the emergence of soft robot technology from the research lab into the real world,” he added.

The full paper can be read online here. Featured image and video one courtesy of the authors of A Resilient, Untethered Soft Robot.