{
  "id": 16154450,
  "title": "Jeonbuk National University, KAIST researchers develop soft robot",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/jeonbuk-national-university-kaist-researchers-develop-soft-robot",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-23T05:47:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/education/20261023/jeonbuk-national-university-kaist-researchers-develop-soft-robot"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers from Jeonbuk National University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have created an ionic soft robot named the Ionograsper. This innovative creation can detect nearby objects and grasp them when exposed to light. The groundbreaking findings were published in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials and were highlighted as a cover article. The study, titled \"A Multifunctional Ionograsper Enabling Ion-Redistribution Proximity Sensing and Structural-Reconfiguration-Driven Bidirectional Actuation,\" was spearheaded by Kim Yong-min, a professor from Jeonbuk National University's School of Chemical Engineering, and Moon Hong-chul, a professor from KAIST's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The university emphasized that the remarkable aspect of this soft robot is its singular, versatile soft material that functions as both a sensor and an artificial muscle. The Ionograsper becomes active upon brief exposure to low-intensity ultraviolet light and maintains its deformed shape for over ten minutes after the light is switched off, without the need for additional energy.",
  "summary": "A joint research team from Jeonbuk National University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed an ionic soft robot called the Ionograsper that can detect nearby objects and grasp them in response to light. The findings were published in the international journal Advanced Materials, and the paper was selected as a cover article. The study is titled “A…",
  "key_points": [
    "Jeonbuk National University and KAIST researchers developed Ionograsper soft robot.",
    "Ionograsper detects objects and grasps them with light exposure.",
    "Soft material functions as sensor and artificial muscle."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Combining sensing and actuation into a single material streamlines soft robotics by allowing devices to detect and grasp objects using only light without requiring continuous energy supplies.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}