Researchers at ETH Zürich are very good at keeping robots standing upright. Back in 2022, the school’s robotics team taught the quadrupedal ANYmal robot how to hike up mountains without falling over.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Move over Bionic Man and make room for BLEEX -- the Berkeley Lower Extremities Exoskeleton, with strap-on robotic legs designed to turn an ordinary human into a super strider.

Most robots rely on rigid, bulky parts that limit their adaptability, strength, and safety in real-world environments. Researchers developed soft, battery-powered artificial muscles inspired by human ...