Patents
US 12384023 B2: Reconfigurable modular soft robots and methods of designing the same
- Granted
- 2025-08-12
- Filed
- 2023-04-20 application 18137265
- Type
- Utility · 17 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
Various implementations include a modular soft robot including a base, an arm coupled to the base, and an actuator. The arm includes a first surface and a second surface opposite and spaced apart from the first surface. The first surface defines a plurality of channels, each channel comprising a proximal end at the first surface and a distal end spaced apart from the proximal end. Each channel has a longitudinal axis extending therethrough. The actuator is configured to deform the arm.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg250812.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA 193 patents | US company or organization | Tuscaloosa, AL | The University of Alabama College or university FUZZY medium confidence: same name (governing-board words and legal endings aside) and state | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vishesh Vikas | Tuscaloosa, AL | 3 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| CAITLIN FREEMAN | Memphis, TN | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Michael Maynard | Birmingham, AL | 4 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| B25J | Manipulators; chambers provided with manipulation devices | B25J9/08 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-18 | Government interest Confirmatory license | UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN TUSCALOOSA signed 2023-08-22 | NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ALEXANDRIA, VA | 71684/529 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2025-06-18 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | FREEMAN, CAITLIN signed 2025-06-06 VIKAS, VISHESH signed 2025-06-11 MAYNARD, MICHAEL signed 2025-06-13 | THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA TUSCALOOSA, AL | 71453/1 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.