Would soft robotics be useful in archaeological tools? Lisa Rose and the Chamberlain Elementary Robotics Team (4th grade)

Would soft robotics be useful in archaeological tools? What kind of conditions should tools be tested in to ensure they work and will not damage artifacts?

Soft robotics could be useful for excavation in some cases. The tools we use on a daily basis are mattocks, shovels and trowels and they have to be made of very hard material in order to excavate efficiently (especially as we deal with many different types of geologies, which can be challenging!). However, we are also required to do more subtle excavation: when dealing with graves and burials for example, or even when we encounter fragile materials such as wood or leather. I think in this case, tools made of soft and flexible materials could be very useful!

Now, about how tools should be tested. That is quite a tough one because in order to know if a tool is effective, it needs to be tested on site and in real conditions. Unless you are able to recreate a fake environment similar to the real one, just to test the tools. But to be perfectly honest, sometimes damage to the artefact cannot be avoided: the conditions in which we work involve dealing with a lot of pressure (in commercial archaeology) and although we always do our very best not to damage anything and to record everything, the nature of the job means that artefacts can get accidentally damaged.

The main thing to test those new tools would be to take the time to do it as safely and as carefully as possible!

Odile, November 2025