Looking To Nature For A Better Robot

Consider the animal kingdom for a moment and it becomes clear that nature’s creatures are made up largely of soft biological materials. An octopus, for example, is almost entirely soft, and deformable tissues make up the majority of the human body.

This insight inspired Dr. Jean Nehme, a former reconstructive surgeon and now serial entrepreneur, to begin building London-based morph one year ago, his second startup. Having sold his first medical company to Medtronic, Nehme began thinking about a new form of robotics that would more closely emulate the design and movement of life on Earth.

Nehme observed that almost all robotics were being constructed from static materials, and the limitations were obvious to him. He reflected on how robots were being designed and built in ways that failed to capture the dynamism of the natural world.

If there were to be mechanisms that could move, shapeshift, and behave more like those in nature, including the human form, a new approach to robotics would be necessary.

The essential insight was that biological creatures are shaped and their movement powered largely through deformable, soft tissues, while robotics to this point has depended on stiff mechanical structures.

An innovative material and platform would need to be created that not only mimicked nature, but would require embedded intelligence to sense, respond, and change shape as conditions required.

Soft Robotic Cells Redefine Physical AI

To realize his vision, Nehme assembled a team of engineers, roboticists, technologists, designers, and scientists to create a new class of intelligent, deformable material called soft robotic cells.

His B2B company, morph, backed by investors including 8VC, Pharrell Williams, Copper, and Blue Lion, has created a platform to design and manufacture reconfigurable deformable materials into cell structures that support real-time changes in morphology and stiffness. Movement is actuated through fluidic systems, while embedded AI enables sensing, adaptation, and control, learning from sensor data and building models of the environment over time.

This novel material draws inspiration from biological cells by sensing and shapeshifting intelligently relative to the environment.

While traditional forms of robotics that enhance human performance are an obvious market, soft robotic cells can theoretically incorporate almost any form. The range of possible applications expands significantly beyond traditional robotic form factors.

Morph does not intend to develop end-user products directly, but as Nehme explains, they see themselves as comparable to a custom semiconductor producer who designs, manufactures, supports, and ships to those who make all manner of computer-based systems.

Applications For Soft Cell Robotics

Nehme doesn’t want to prejudge how industries might use soft cell robotics, but early interest suggests how the material may be used initially.

Applications in the health sector, such as performance enhancements, loss of function, injury prevention, and longevity solutions look to be attractive early, as do a range of industrial applications.

Soft cell robotics can also be used in hybrid solutions where both soft and rigid components make sense. However, morph will focus on soft-first and soft-only solutions for now.

The company remains coy about ongoing discussions with manufacturers and their first product announcements, but Nehme says the initial applications to be announced later this year will be noteworthy.

The Strategic Implications For Physical AI

Morph is compelling because it addresses some of the most persistent limitations of conventional mechanical robotics. There will continue to be a robust and growing market for static, metal-based robots, but a material inspired by the deformable structures found in nature means robots can be made in any shape and can sense, respond, and be deformable as necessary. It opens up the possibilities of building and deploying intelligent machines in applications and contexts previously unimaginable.

If Nehme succeeds with morph, he will be responsible for a new chapter in physical AI with profound implications for how we live, work, and play. Right now, they have a first-mover opportunity and have made IP protection a priority. That said, Nehme anticipates robust competition, particularly if the market responds rapidly to morph.

For decades, advances in robotics have largely been driven by improvements in software, sensors, and mechanical engineering. Morph suggests that the next breakthrough may come from an entirely different direction: intelligent materials themselves. If that vision proves correct, soft robotic cells could become a foundational building block of the next generation of physical AI.