Soft robots hold great promise but are notoriously difficult to control due to their compliance and back-drivability. In order to implement useful controllers, improved methods of perceiving robot pose (position and orientation of the entire robot body) in free and perturbed states are needed. In this work, we present a holistic approach to robot pose perception in free bending and with external contact

Existing climbing robots achieve stable movements on limited surface types. However, adapting a single robot design to various surface shapes remains a substantial challenge. Based on the van der Waals (vdW) force-mediated adhesion mechanism of a gecko foot and negative pressure from octopus suckers, this study introduces a biomimetic integration strategy for designing and fabricating a pneumatically

In atypical industrial settings, soft grippers needed to adjust to different object shapes. Existing grabbers typically accommodated only single-curvature, fixed-stiffness objects, restricting their stability and usability. This study presents a design for a finger featuring multi-curvature, incorporating a wedge actuator alongside two variable stiffness units (VSUs) inspired by snake scales. By adjusting

Achieving strong adaptability and high-load capacity for small-scale soft robots remains a challenge in current robotics engineering. In this study, inspired by a snail movement, we developed a soft crawling robot capable of controllable locomotion and carrying a load of 204 g-7.7 times its own weight-using just one single motor for robot control. The robot measures 7.6 cm in length, 3 cm in width

Autonomous navigation of cyborg insects in complex environments remains a challenging issue. Cyborg insects, which combine biological organisms with electronic components, offer a unique approach to tackle such challenges. This study presents a biohybrid behavior-based navigation (BIOBBN) system that enables cyborg cockroaches to navigate complex environments autonomously. Two navigation algorithms

Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic (HASEL) actuators are known for their muscle-like activation, rapid operation, and direct electrical control, making them highly versatile for use in soft robotics. While current methods for enhancing HASEL actuator performance largely emphasize material innovation, our approach offers an additional architectural strategy. In this study, we introduce

The myocardial contracting ratio is approximately 20%, whereas ejection fraction exceeds 60%. Understanding the structure and kinetic mechanisms of the heart that enable this high ejection fraction is crucial in both basic and clinical medicine. However, these mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. The authors have developed a functional model based on the unique myocardial band theory, which posits

The inherent challenges of robotic underwater exploration, such as hydrodynamic effects, the complexity of dynamic coupling, and the necessity for sensitive interaction with marine life, call for the adoption of soft robotic approaches in marine exploration. To address this, we present a novel prototype, ZodiAq, a soft underwater drone inspired by prokaryotic bacterial flagella. ZodiAq's unique dodecahedral

Soft robots and bioinspired systems have revolutionized robot design by incorporating flexibility and deformable materials inspired by nature's ingenious designs. Similar to many robotic applications, sensing and perception are paramount to enable soft robots to adeptly navigate the unpredictable real world, ensuring safe interactions with both humans and the environment. Despite recent progress, soft

Soft magnetic robots have attracted extensive research interest recently due to their fast-transforming ability and programmability. Although the inherent softness of the matrix materials enables dexterity and safe interactions, the contradiction between the easy shape transformation of the soft matrices and load carrying capacity, as well as the difficulty of independently controllable motion of individual

Soft actuators hold great potential for applications in surgical operations, robotic manipulation, and prosthetic devices. However, they are limited by their structures, materials, and actuation methods, resulting in disadvantages in output force and dynamic response. This article introduces a soft pneumatic actuator capable of bending based on triangular prism origami. The origami creases are crafted

The high degree of freedom (DoF) shape morphing widely exists in biology for mimicry, camouflage, and locomotion. Currently, a lot of bionic soft/flexible actuators and robots with shape-morphing functions have been developed to realize conformity, grasp, and movement. Among these solutions, two-dimensional responsive materials and structures that can shape morph into different three-dimensional configurations

Soft robotics is gaining interest in rehabilitation applications, bringing new opportunities to offset the loss of upper limb motor function following neurological, neuromuscular, or traumatic injuries. Unlike conventional rigid robotics, the added softness in linkages or joints promises to make rehabilitation robots compliant, which translates into higher levels of safety, comfort, usability, and

Small-scale soft robots, despite their potential for adaptability in unknown environments, often encounter performance constraints due to inherent limitations within soft actuators and compact bodies. To address this problem, we proposed a fast-moving soft robot driven by electroactive materials. The robot combines the advantages of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) and shape memory alloy (SMA)

Modern industrial and medical applications require soft actuators with practical actuation methods, capable of precision control and high-speed performance. Within the realm of medical robotics, precision and speed imply less complications and reduced operational times. Soft fluidic actuators (SFAs) are promising candidates to replace the current rigid endoscopes due to their mechanical compliance

Soft sensors integrated or attached to robots or human bodies enable rapid and accurate estimation of the physical states of the target systems, including position, orientation, and force. While the use of a number of sensors enhances precision and reliability in estimation, it may constrain the movement of the target system or make the entire system complex and bulky. This article proposes a rapid

Based on the analysis of the structures of robots and electronics developed so far, it should be noted that a majority of them need a reservoir for electrical energy storage. Unfortunately, most off-the-shelf devices commercially available nowadays are based on rigid parts that heavily limit the possibilities of incorporating such products into soft robots and wearable electronics. To address these

High-performance eco-friendly soft actuators showing large displacement, fast response, and long-term operational capability require further development for next-generation bioinspired soft robots. Herein, we report an electro-ionic soft actuator based on carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals (CCNC) and carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CCNF), graphene nanoplatelets (GN), and ionic liquid (IL). The

Tendon-driven continuum soft robots are currently applied in research and are given a promising perspective for future applications. For the routing of the tendons from the actuator to the point where the loading is demanded, two routing possibilities exist in the literature: internal routing of the tendons with the help of structurally embedded Bowden sheaths and external tendon routing where the

Previous rolling soft robots have difficulty in balancing the locomotion speed with energy efficiency and have limited terrain adaptability. This work proposes a rolling soft robot driven by local snap-through buckling, which employs the fast response and configuration maintenance of the bistable structure to enhance the locomotion performance of the soft robot. A theory based on bifurcation and the

Most pneumatic actuators used in robotics are controlled by valves that contain moving parts (e.g., spool or rotor) and electronics to change the direction or pressure of the air flow. Thus, the dynamic bandwidth and robustness of the system are limited by these elements. This article presents an oscillation-based pneumatic actuation method to remove the moving parts and electronics from the valve

Fragile fruit uploading and packaging are labor-intensive and time-consuming steps in postharvest industry. With the aging of the global population, it is supposed to develop robotic grasping systems to replace manual labor. However, damage-less grasping of fragile fruit is the key problem in robotization. Inappropriate grasping force will result in damage, early-stage bruise, or slip. Benefits from

Colorectal cancer stands as one of the most prevalent cancers globally, representing 9.8% of total cases and contributing to 9.2% of mortalities annually. Robotic "front-wheel" navigating colonoscopes mitigate aggressive stretching against the long and tortuous colonic wall, alleviating associated discomfort and pain typically experienced by patients inspected by conventional "back-wheel" navigating

Wearable robots, especially those composed of soft materials, are increasingly attracting interest due to their comfort, ease of donning and doffing, and their ability to provide assistance across various applications. In wearable robotics, striking a balance between ensuring low impedance for wearer comfort and providing sufficient assistive force is a notable design challenge. In this study, we propose

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) enable to create soft robots with fast response speed and high-energy density, but the fast optimization design of DEAs still remains elusive because of their continuous electromechanical deformation and high-dimensional design space. Existing approaches usually involve repeating and vast finite element calculation during the optimization process, leading to low

High maneuverability and energy efficiency are crucial for underwater robots to perform tasks in engineering practice. Natural evolution empowers aquatic species with skills of agile and efficient swimming, which can be deliberately employed for better robotic swimmers. A critical issue for efficient robotic swimmers is the design and control of an appropriate propulsion system. This study, therefore

Tendon-driven continuum robots suffer from crosstalk of driving forces between sections, typically resulting in motion coupling between sections, which affects their motion accuracy and complicates the control strategies. To address these issues, this article proposes a mechanically designed variable-pitch flexible-screw-driven continuum robot (FSDCR) that enables motion decoupling between sections

This paper explores online stiffness modulation within a single tail stroke for swimming soft robots. Despite advances in stiffening mechanisms, little attention has been given to dynamically adjusting stiffness in real-time, presenting a challenge in developing mechanisms with the requisite bandwidth to match tail actuation. Achieving an optimal balance between thrust and efficiency in swimming soft

Currently, pneumatic soft actuators are widely used due to their impressive adaptability, but they still face challenges for more extensive practical applications. One of the primary issues is the bulky and noisy air compressors required to generate air pressure. To circumvent this critical problem, this work proposes a new type of air pressure source, based on the vapor pressure at the gas-liquid

Net-winged midge larvae (Blephariceridae) are known for their remarkable ability to adhere to and crawl on the slippery surfaces of rocks in fast-flowing and turbulent alpine streams, waterfalls, and rivers. This remarkable performance can be attributed to the larvae's powerful ventral suckers. In this article, we first develop a theoretical model of the piston-driven sucker that considers the lubricated

Origami robots have garnered attention due to their versatile deformation and potential applications, particularly for medical applications. In this article, we propose a Yoshimura continuum manipulator (YoMo) that can achieve accurate control of the tip position for the magnetic resonance (MR) environment. The YoMo made of a single piece of paper is cable-actuated to generate the bending and shortening

The unique rigid-flex connection between the fin-rays and fin-surface in a bionic undulatory fin robot endows the fin-surface with both active flexibility and load-bearing capacity, enabling this robot to perform amphibious motions in underwater, terrestrial, and even marshy environments. However, investigations into dynamic modeling problems for the undulatory fin robot, considering the impact of

Robotic grasping plays a pivotal role in real-world interactions for robots. Existing grippers often limit functionality to a single grasping mode-picking or suction. While picking handles smaller objects and suction adapts to larger ones, integrating these modes breaks scale boundaries, expanding the robot's potential in real applications. This article introduces grasping modes transformable soft

Wearable robots have been developed to assist the physical performance of humans. Specifically, exosuits have attracted attention due to their lightweight and soft nature, which facilitate user movement. Although several types of force controllers have been used in exosuits, it is challenging to control the assistive force due to the material's softness. In this study, we propose three methods to improve

Despite the exponentially expanding capabilities of robotic systems with the introduction of soft robotics, the lack of practical considerations in designing and integrating soft robotic components hinders the widespread application of newly developed technology in real life. This study investigates the development and performance evaluation of soft-rigid hybrid (SRH) robotic systems employing multilayered

We propose a soft electromagnetic sliding actuator that provides various planar motions to construct highly compliant actuation systems. The actuator is composed of a fully soft actuation base (stator) for generating electromagnetic and magnetic forces and a rigid neodymium magnet (slider) that slides on the actuation base. A parallel liquid-metal coil array in the stator is designed based on theoretical

Due to their exceptional adaptability, inherent compliance, and high flexibility, soft actuators have significant advantages over traditional rigid actuators in human-machine interaction and in grasping irregular or fragile objects. Most existing soft actuators are designed using preprogramming methods, which schedule complex motions into flexible structures by correctly designing deformation constraints

Usability and functionality are important when designing hand-wearable robots; however, satisfying both indicators remains a challenging issue, even though researchers have made important progress with state-of-the-art robot components. Although hand-wearable robots require sufficient actuators and sensors considering their functionality, these components complicate the robot. Further, robot compliance

Many organisms move directly toward light for prey hunting or navigation, which is called phototaxis. Mimicking this behavior in robots is crucially important in the energy industry and environmental exploration. However, the phototaxis robots with rigid bodies and sensors still face challenges in adapting to unstructured environments, and the soft phototaxis robots often have high requirements for

Soft robots have morphological characteristics that make them preferred candidates, over their traditionally rigid counterparts, for executing physical interaction tasks with the environment. Therefore, equipping them with force sensing is essential for ensuring safety, enhancing their controllability, and adding autonomy. At the same time, it is necessary to preserve their inherent flexibility when

Soft actuators offer numerous potential applications; however, challenges persist in achieving a high driving force and fast response speed. In this work, we present the design, fabrication, and analysis of a soft pneumatic bistable actuator (PBA) mimicking jellyfish subumbrellar muscle motion for waterjet propulsion. Drawing inspiration from the jellyfish jet propulsion and the characteristics of

The combustion actuation method opens a unique pathway for high-performance soft robots, allowing for high accelerations in multifunctional applications. Along with multifunctionality come great challenges in effective robot structure design, accurate control and prediction of combustion-actuated motions, and practical implementation of various applications. However, research in this nascent field

As the chameleon tongue swallows the food, it wraps the entrapped meat around the food, ensuring that it is completely enclosed and preventing it from falling off. Inspired by swallow behavior, this article introduces the design, manufacture, modeling, and experimentation of a variable stiffness swallowing gripper (VSSG). The VSSG is comprised of an intimal membrane, an adventitial membrane, and an

The increasing demand for inspection, upkeep, and repair of pipeline and tunnel infrastructures has catalyzed research into the creation of robots with superior flexibility, adaptability, and load-bearing capacities. This study introduces an autonomous soft robot designed for navigating both straight and curved pipelines of 90 mm diameter. The soft robot is enabled by an elongation pneumatic actuator

This study develops a biomimetic soft octopus suction device with integrated self-sensing capabilities designed to enhance the precision and safety of cardiac surgeries. The device draws inspiration from the octopus's exceptional ability to adhere to various surfaces and its sophisticated proprioceptive system, allowing for real-time adjustment of adhesive force. The research integrates thin-film pressure

In recent years, the exploration of worm-like robots has garnered much attention for their adaptability in confined environments. However, current designs face challenges in fully utilizing the mechanical properties of structures/materials to replicate the superior performance of real worms. In this article, we propose an approach to address this limitation based on the stacked Miura origami structure

The octopus has attracted widespread attention owing to its unique underwater movement and its ability to escape with inkjets, which also promoted the development of underwater bionic robots. This study introduces a magnetic octopus robot (MOR) 3D printed with PA6/NdFeB composite material, which has good magnetic responsiveness and rigidity to cope with complex environments. The MOR can roll and rotate

The somatosensory system is crucial for living beings to survive and thrive in complex environments and to interact with their surroundings. Similarly, rapidly developed soft robots need to be aware of their own posture and detect external stimuli. Bending and force sensing are key for soft machines to achieve embodied intelligence. Here, we present a soft inductive bimodal sensor (SIBS) that uses

Suction grippers offer a distinct advantage in their ability to handle a wide range of items. However, attaching these grippers to irregular and rough surfaces presents an ongoing challenge. To address this obstacle, this study explores the integration of magnetic intelligence into a soft suction gripper design, enabling fast external magnetic actuation of the attachment process. Additionally, miniaturization

Robotics is entering our daily lives. The discipline is increasingly crucial in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and rescue operations, impacting our food, health, and planet. At the same time, it is becoming evident that robotic research must embrace and reflect the diversity of human society to address these broad challenges effectively. In recent years, gender inclusivity has received increasing

Articular cartilage defects are among the most common orthopedic diseases, which seriously affect patients' health and daily activities, without prompt treatment. The repair biocarrier-based treatment has shown great promise. Total joint injection and open surgery are two main methods to deliver functional repair biocarriers into the knee joint. However, the exhibited drawbacks of these methods hinder

Continuum manipulators can improve spatial adaptability and operational flexibility in constrained environments by endowing them with contraction and extension capabilities. There are currently desired requirements to quantify the shape of an extensible continuum manipulator for strengthening its obstacle avoidance capability and end-effector position accuracy. To address these issues, this study proposes

The shape of flexible endoscopic surgical robot should be obtained to increase control accuracy and prevent unwanted tissue damage. To estimate the shape of flexible manipulator, space efficiency, cost-effectiveness, system complexity, and ease of calibration should be considered to integrate sensors into the manipulator. In this article, we propose a real-time method to estimate the shape of a hyper-redundant

In this study, we propose a fabric muscle based on the Zigzag Shape Memory Alloy (ZSMA) actuator. Soft wearable robots have been gaining attention due to their flexibility and the ability to provide significant power support to the user without hindering their movement and mobility. There has been an increasing focus on the research and development of fabric muscles, which are crucial components of

Shape display devices composed of actuation pixels enable dynamic rendering of surface morphological features, which have important roles in virtual reality and metaverse applications. The traditional pin-array solution produces sidestep-like structures between neighboring pins and normally relies on high-density pins to obtain curved surfaces. It remains a challenge to achieve continuous curved surfaces

Traditional robots derive their capabilities of movement through rigid structural "links" and discrete actuated "joints." Alternatively, soft robots are composed of flexible materials that permit movement across a continuous range of their body and appendages and thus are not restricted in where they can bend. While trade-offs between material choices may restrain robot functionalities within a narrow

In this study, a vacuum-based modular actuator system named reconfigurable origami-based vacuum pneumatic artificial muscles (ROV-PAMs) is presented. The system consists of six types of actuating modules and three types of fluidic supporting modules each embedded with magnet-based connectors so that the modules can be assembled to modify the system behavior. The module can be used in a myriad of ways

Soft robots mimic the agility of living organisms without rigid joints and muscles. Continuum bending (CB) is one type of motion living organisms can display. CB can be achieved using pneumatic, electroactive, or thermal actuators prepared by casting an active layer on a passive layer. The corresponding input actuates only the active layer in the assembly resulting in the bending of the structure.

Replication of the human sense of touch would be highly advantageous for robots or prostheses as it would allow an agile and dexterous interaction with the environment. The article presents an approach for the integration of a micro-electromechanical system sensing skin with 144 tactile sensors on a soft, human-sized artificial fingertip. The sensing technology consists of thin, 1D sensing strips which

Soft grippers have shown their ability to grasp fragile and irregularly shaped objects, but they often require external mechanisms for actuation, limiting their use in large-scale situations. Their limited capacity to handle loads and deformations also restricts their customized grasping capabilities. To address these issues, a model-based soft gripper with adaptable stiffness was proposed. The proposed