A Purpose-Free Space to Surrender Yourself to Soft Robotics

Welcome to a space where you can drop by without any specific reason—a casual, purpose-free room. Soft robots known as Morph welcome visitors into this space, offering an experience of surrender and presence. Come as you are and immerse yourself in the experience.

Issue

In today’s busy world, people rarely have the opportunity to spend time without purpose. By dedicating time to free exploration, we can let go of the thoughts we unconsciously hold and discover richer, more fulfilling experiences. We created a space where visitors can utilize soft robotics to experience the sensation of being free from expectations and purpose.

Creation

Morph, a soft robot created by combining Bridgestone's research on rubber artificial muscles with motion-sensing technology inspired by natural movement, becomes the central figure in this experience. Visitors can lie atop large Morphs or cradle smaller ones, allowing themselves to be gently supported and immersed in this unique, meditative interaction.

These moments of surrender allow participants to confront emotions, disconnect from goals, and connect with the sensations of organic movement and presence.

The centerpiece of this space is Morph, born from a combination of Bridgestone’s extensive research on rubber artificial muscles and motion-sensing technology inspired by natural movement. Visitors can lie on a large Morph and cradle a smaller Morph in their arms, allowing themselves to be gently supported and immersed in this unique, meditative environment.

These moments of surrender allow participants to confront emotions, disconnect from goals, and connect with the sensations of organic movement and presence.

Technology

Rubber Artificial Muscles: Soft, Organic Motion

Soft robotics combines advanced flexible materials with sophisticated control systems to achieve delicate, organic movements. Bridgestone, a leader in the tire and rubber industry, founded Soft Robotics Ventures to explore the use of Rubber Artificial Muscles. Drawing on expertise from tire and rubber tube development, this innovation aims to enable humans and robots to collaborate in a softer, more natural way through partnerships and technological advancements.
Soft robotics aims to create organic, life-like motion with potential applications across various industries. However, its use is currently limited to industrial and warehouse settings.

The key to advancing soft robotics lies in "human-robot collaboration"—creating experiences based on trust and mutual reliance. To bring this vision to life, Bridgestone has launched a co-creation project with Konel.

Nature-Inspired Motion Sensing

Morph is equipped with motion data derived from nature and animal movements. Using a proprietary system, motion features from video are extracted and converted into control signals for Rubber Artificial Muscles.

These muscles, with a two-layer structure of tubes and sleeves, mimic organic, natural movements like breathing, fetal motion, or tidal patterns. The movement generated by this system creates a unique Morph rhythm—different from both biological and mechanical motion.

Operating without communication or external control, Morph moves in an entirely organic way. This allows it to coexist without imposing expectations or intentions, reflecting its natural and biological essence.

Future

Expanding Collaborative Partnerships

This project aims to foster open communication about the future and development of soft robotics. We are inviting sponsorship, collaboration, and support to advance these efforts.

We welcome partnerships in areas such as rubber artificial muscle structures, interface technologies, nature-inspired motion sensing, demonstration fields, exhibition opportunities, and financial contributions.

Our goal is to explore new possibilities for robots beyond traditional designs and envision a better, sustainable future.