Bridgestone, the global tyre manufacturer, has created artificial rubber muscle with a view to getting into the wellness and robotics sector.

Professionals at this year's Milan Design Week heard how it's spent 40 years developing a flexible and movable device and has now established an in-house start-up, Bridgestone Softrobotics Ventures (BSV), to roll it out.

The core product is Morph, a series of soft, artificial muscles powered by air which envelop people and use haptic technology to replicate natural movements. The breathing of an elephant, the wings of a bird flying or the ebb and flow of the tides are converted into data via video extraction and then installed in the muscles and played back.

BSV has collaborated with Zen monk Toryo Ito and creator group Konel to introduce four pop-up 'zenbot salons', known as Morph Inns, across Tokyo where people can use the technology to "reconnect with themselves in a profound and authentic way". The experience is amplified by a combination of visual, auditory and olfactory effects.

"Our Morph Inns combine robotic technology, Zen-inspired principles and spatial design to create a space for relaxation and mindfulness," says Masahiro Yamaguchi, founding member and principal of BSV.