The EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS) is working on a robot made up of soft, floating modules that connect to each other through electroadhesion.

Electroadhesion uses very high voltages to generate a charge differential between two surfaces (even on non-conductive surfaces), causing them to stick together.

This makes it an ideal dynamic connector for soft, modular modules that float, offering the potential to be used in soft robotics and robotic systems where weight is at a premium.