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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Inspired by animals that slither, swim and crawl, engineers are designing new robotic systems as soft as skin and muscle.

At the Corvallis Science Pub on Monday, March 13, Yiğit Mengüc, assistant professor in the Oregon State University College of Engineering, will show how he uses 3D printing, biodegradable rubber and other materials to produce robots with the agility of geckos and the flexibility of snakes.

The Science Pub is free and open to the public. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Old World Deli, 341 S.W. 2nd St. in Corvallis.

"Bioinspired mechanisms include soft muscles, adhesives and soft wearable sensors," said Mengüç. "The mLab fabricates these materials and mechanisms through our own innovations in 3D printing and rapid digital manufacturing. Though significant challenges remain to be solved in soft materials, exciting developments promise to bring robots more and more into our daily lives."

Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.