The ocean and human activities related to the sea are under increasing pressure due to climate change, widespread pollution, and growth of the offshore energy sector. Data, in under-sampled regions of the ocean and in the offshore patches where the industrial expansion is taking place, are fundamental to manage successfully a sustainable development and to mitigate climate change. Existing technology

In this study, a parasitic capacitance-free tactile sensor with a floating electrode that is capable of identifying actual physical contact pressure by distinguishing from parasitic effects and applicable to sensor arrays is presented. Although capacitive pressure sensors are known for their excellent pressure sensing capabilities in wide range with high sensitivity, they tend to suffer from a parasitic

This study presents the design and test of a novel self-adaptive soft gripper, integrating pneumatic actuators and bistable carbon-fiber reinforced polymer laminates. The morphology was designed using the distinct structural characteristics of bistable structures; and the stable gripping configuration of the gripper was maintained through the bistability without continuous pressure application. The

An untethered, soft robot using liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuators, onboard power, and wireless Bluetooth control was developed. LCE actuators were thermally triggered using Joule heating and demonstrated an ∼5 N force pull capacity per LCE. A >20% repeatable strain was demonstrated over >100 cycles with minimal loss of strain at high cycle numbers. The LCE actuators were horizontally oriented

Bringing tactile sensation to robotic hands will allow for more effective grasping, along with a wide range of benefits of human-like touch. Here, we present a three-dimensional-printed, three-fingered tactile robot hand comprising an OpenHand ModelO customized to house a TacTip soft biomimetic tactile sensor in the distal phalanx of each finger. We expect that combining the grasping capabilities of

Robots made of soft materials are demonstrating to be well suited in applications where dexterity and intrinsic safety are necessary. However, one of the most challenging goals of soft robotics remains the ability to change the stiffness of body parts to guarantee stability and to produce significant forces. Among soft actuation technologies reported in literature, the jamming phenomenon is now achieving

The recent discovery of electroactive polymers has shown great promises in the field of soft robotics and was logically followed by experimental, numerical, and theoretical developments. Most of these studies were concerned with systems entirely covered by electrodes. However, there is a growing interest for partially active polymers, in which the electrode covers only one part of the membrane. Indeed

Soft actuators producing large motion in a short time are mostly based on stretchable polymers actuated by pneumatic pressure; they consist of bulky components, including a motor, pump/compressor, tubes, and valves. In this study, we develop a fast-responding large-amplitude soft actuator, based on a liquid–gas phase transition, which produces a compact system. The required pressure is generated solely

Wireless power transfer (WPT) has the significant potential for soft-bodied continuum robots to extend the operational time limitlessly and reduce weight. However, rigid power receiver coils, widely used in WPT, hinder the continuum deformation of the robot, and as a result, the function realization using the continuum deformation (e.g., locomotion) is impaired. Therefore, this article introduces that

The field of self-healing soft robots was initiated a few years ago. A healing ability can be integrated in soft robots by manufacturing their soft membranes out of synthetic self-healing polymers, more specifically elastomeric Diels–Alder (DA) networks. As such they can recover completely from macroscopic damage, including scratches, cuts, and ruptures. Before this research, these robots were manufactured

Tunable-impedance mechanisms can improve the adaptivity, robustness, and efficiency of a vast array of engineering systems and soft robots. In this study, we introduce a tunable-stiffness mechanism called a “sandwich jamming structure,” which fuses the exceptional stiffness range of state-of-the-art laminar jamming structures (also known as layer jamming structures) with the high stiffness-to-mass

In this study, we introduce a haptic communication method using two-dimensional (2D) arrayed thermal haptic module. The 2D thermal haptic module delivers real-time information to user through the thermoception of the user's skin. Such 2D thermal haptic module could be realized using flexible thermoelectric (TE) device and independent temperature control of individual unit cell that are arranged in

Grasping is an important characteristic of robots in interacting with humans and the environment. Due to the inherent compliance of soft grippers, they can easily adapt to novel objects and operate safely in a human-centered environment. However, soft hands suffer from poor grasping robustness and operation durability, especially for heavy objects or objects with sharp spikes, mainly due to their fragile

This study presents an optimal design procedure, including topology and geometry optimization methods to design a compliant constant-force mechanism, which can generate a nearly constant output force over a range of input displacements. The proposed constant-force mechanism is a passive force regulation device that can be used in various applications such as precision manipulation and overload protection

One of the many secrets to the success and prevalence of insects is their versatile, robust, and complex exoskeleton morphology. A fundamental challenge in insect-inspired robotics has been the fabrication of robotic exoskeletons that can match the complexity of exoskeleton structural mechanics. Hybrid robots composed of rigid and soft elements have previously required access to expensive multi-material

This article presents the design, fabrication, modeling, and preliminary tests of a bloodworm-inspired soft gripper for universal grasping. The gripper was designed and fabricated based on a toy called water snake wiggly (WSW). The toroidal WSW can evert itself inside-out or outside-in, just like a bloodworm everting its teeth outside to hunt and inside to feed. By driving a WSW rolling itself outside-in

Soft robots can outperform traditional rigid robots in terms of structural compliance, enhanced safety, and efficient locomotion. However, it is still a grand challenge to design and efficiently manufacture soft robots with multimodal locomotion capability together with multifunctionality for navigating in dynamic environments and meanwhile performing diverse tasks in real-life applications. This study

Programmable materials have artificially designed physical shapes responding to external stimuli, as well as high design capability and high flexibility. Here, we propose a microfiber-shaped programmable material with an axial pattern of stimuli-responsive (SR) and nonresponsive hydrogels. The SR pre-gel solution was mixed to sodium alginate pre-gel solution for instantaneous gelation with ionic crosslinking

This article presents a novel electromyography (EMG)-driven exoneuromusculoskeleton that integrates the neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), soft pneumatic muscle, and exoskeleton techniques, for self-help upper limb training after stroke. The developed system can assist the elbow, wrist, and fingers to perform sequential arm reaching and withdrawing tasks under voluntary effort control through

Owing to their compliance, lightweight, and high force density characteristics, pneumatic actuation systems have been widely implemented in various soft robots. However, pneumatic actuation systems exhibit low efficiency, poor control performance, and high noise; these make it extremely challenging to widely employ a pneumatic actuation system in mobile robots. To overcome these limitations, many researches

Inspired by natural swarms such as bees and ants, various types of swarm robotic systems have been developed to work together to complete tasks that transcend individual capabilities. Autonomous robots controlled by collective algorithm and colloidal swarms energized by external field have been designed in an attempt to emulate collective behaviors in nature. However, either sophisticated hardware

Twisted string actuators (TSAs) convert rotational motion from twisting into linear motion. They are known for high energy efficiency, and large linear strain and stress outputs. Although they have been successfully applied as the moving mechanism for different robot applications, their potential in soft robotics is mainly challenged by two aspects: First, the conventional strings of TSAs are stiff

Soft robots show excellent body compliance, adaptability, and mobility when coping with unstructured environments and human–robot interactions. However, the moving speed for soft locomotion robots is far from that of their rigid partners. Rolling locomotion can provide a promising solution for developing high-speed robots. Based on different rolling mechanisms, three rolling soft robot (RSR) prototypes

Fiber reinforcement is a crucial attribute of soft-bodied muscular hydrostats that have the ability to undergo large deformations and maintain their posture. Helically wound fibers around the cylindrical worm body help control the tube diameter and length. Geometric considerations show that a fiber winding angle of 54.7°, called the magic angle, results in a maximum enclosed volume. Few studies have

To improve performance of thermopneumatic soft actuators, which have recently been developed for various industrial applications, we embedded different nanoscale materials into their elastomer bodies. This yields a significant enhancement in the actuator performance via improving the mechanical and thermal properties of the elastomer bodies. In addition, the use of nanoinclusions diminished losses

To create a miniature shapeshifting robot capable of controlled movement, subdivision, regeneration, passage through small channels, engulfment of particles, object manipulation, and flow manipulation, a droplet of magnetically responsive ferrofluid is used. The ferrofluidic robot can achieve the aforementioned functions when both its position and shape are controlled using a custom electromagnetic

Inflatable robotics is a promising area for the deployment of low-cost structures that are easy to transport and deploy while allowing safe interactions with humans and the environment. One of the key elements in the development of inflatable robots is their actuation system. In this work, we introduce the original concept of a Simultaneous Eversion-Retraction Inflatable Actuator, used in the actuation

Dynamic stiffness tuning is a promising approach for shape reconfigurable systems that must adapt their flexibility in response to changing operational requirements. Among stiffness tuning technologies, phase change materials are particularly promising because they are size scalable and can be powered using portable electronics. However, the long transition time required for phase change is a great

An underwater manipulator is essential for underwater robotic sampling and other service operations. Conventional rigid body underwater manipulators generally required substantial size and weight, leading to hindered general applications. Pioneering soft robotic underwater manipulators have defied this by offering dexterous and lightweight arms and grippers, but still requiring substantial actuation

Recent advances in robotic systems have increased the need for various kinds of robots in many fields, such as aerospace and medical. Utilizing hard robots in such fields can cause irrecoverable damages; therefore, scientists have taken inspiration from nature to build robots with soft bodies. In this article, a soft pneumatic actuator that reshapes in the x–y plane is controlled. This continuous soft

There has been a great deal of interest in designing soft robots that can mimic a human system with haptic and proprioceptive functions. There is now a strong demand for soft robots that can sense their surroundings and functions in harsh environments. This is because the wireless sensing and actuating capabilities of these soft robots are very important for monitoring explosive gases in disaster areas

In this work, we propose a new kind of soft–rigid hybrid actuator composed mainly of soft chambers and rigid frames. Compared with the well-known fiber-reinforced soft actuators, the hybrid actuators are able to ensure the design of noncircular cross-sectional shapes. It is demonstrated that rigid frames are capable of providing geometric constraints, reducing the ineffective deformation, and improving

Textile fabrics are compliant, lightweight, and inherently anisotropic, making them promising for the design of soft pneumatic actuators. In this article, we present the design, modeling, and evaluation of a class of soft fabric-based pneumatic actuators (SFPAs) for soft wearable assistive gloves that can simultaneously assist the thumb abduction and finger flexion and extension motions for brachial

Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are an extensively investigated type of soft actuator. However, the PAM motions have been limited somewhat to uniaxial contraction and extension, restraining the development of PAMs. Given the current strong interest in soft robotics, PAMs have been gaining renewed attention due to their excellent compliance and ease of fabrication. Herein, under the inspiration

This article presents a frog-inspired swimming soft robot whose joints are articulated pneumatic soft actuators. The soft actuator is designed and prepared by studying the biological structure and limb movement characteristics of frogs. A schematic limb motion diagram of the robot is established based on the kinematic model, and the design scheme is determined by a combined control system. The torso

Pneumatic soft actuators (PSAs) are components that produce predesigned motion or force in different end-use devices. PSAs are lightweight, flexible, and compatible in human–machine interaction. The use of PSAs in compression therapy has proven promising in proactive pressure delivery with a wide range of dosages for treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and lymphedema. However, effective design

By designing an actuator composed of thin layers with different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) together with an electrically conductive layer, the CTE mismatch can be utilized to produce soft electrothermal actuators (ETAs). These actuators have been typically implemented using only two layers, commonly relying on Timoshenko's analytic model that correlates the temperature to the actuator's

Octopuses can employ their tapered arms to catch prey of all shapes and sizes due to their dexterity, flexibility, and gripping power. Intrigued by variability in arm taper angle between different octopus species, we explored the utility of designing soft actuators exhibiting a distinctive conical geometry, compared with more traditional cylindrical forms. We find that these octopus-inspired conical-shaped

Soft robotics is a field of robotic system design characterized by materials and structures that exhibit large-scale deformation, high compliance, and rich multifunctionality. The incorporation of soft and deformable structures endows soft robotic systems with the compliance and resiliency that makes them well adapted for unstructured and dynamic environments. Although actuation mechanisms for soft

Electrostatic film actuators represent a promising new approach to drive a soft robot, but they lack a comprehensive model to link the design parameters and actuation performance, making actuator design and parameter optimization challenging. To solve this problem, we build a mathematical model based on the method of moments by assuming that each electrode consists of a large number of line charges

Tensegrity robots comprising solid rods connected by tensile cables are of interest due to their flexible and robust nature, which potentially makes them suitable for uneven and unpredictable environments where traditional robots often struggle. Much progress has been made toward attaining locomotion with tensegrity robots. However, measuring the shape of a dynamic tensegrity without the use of external

In this work, we present an injection molded soft total artificial heart (sTAH) produced from high-temperature vulcanizing silicone using an industrial metal injection mold. At 60 beats per minute, the sTAH exhibited a total cardiac output of over 16 L/min against physiological pressures on a mock circulation and was pumped continuously for 110,000 actuation cycles. Finite element analysis was used

The compliant nature of soft fingers allows for safe and dexterous manipulation of objects by humans in an unstructured environment. A soft prosthetic finger design with tactile sensing capabilities for texture discrimination and subsequent sensory stimulation has the potential to create a more natural experience for an amputee. In this work, a pneumatically actuated soft biomimetic finger is integrated

Deformation behavior of soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) can mechanically be preprogrammed into their architecture during design. To date, the majority of SPAs rely on a unimodal bending design. This paper develops a method of including a bimodal design into the deformed state by means of a bilinear material that replaces the conventional strain limiter. With a simple increase in pneumatic pressure

Earthworm-like peristaltic locomotion has been implemented in >50 robots, with many potential applications in otherwise inaccessible terrain. Design guidelines for peristaltic locomotion have come from observations of biology, but robots have empirically explored different structures, actuators, and control waveform shapes than those observed in biological organisms. In this study, we suggest a template

Traditional actuators, such as motors as well as hydraulic or pneumatic artificial muscles, demonstrate excessive noise, a heavy weight, and a large size, which limit their practical application in many areas. Therefore, for many decades, scientists have worked to develop new types of silent, small, and light actuators. In this article, a novel soft actuator (actuator3) with a high load-to-weight ratio

Soft material actuation is a promising field that can potentially solve several limitations of traditional robotic systems. These systems comprise soft and flexible materials to achieve high degrees of freedom and compliance with their surroundings. One method to actuate such structures is to vaporize liquid that is embedded inside the soft material. The soft elastomers are inflated since the generated

Pneumatically driven soft robotic grippers have been extensively studied in recent years. A majority of the grippers, especially those entirely composed of soft materials, can adapt to and handle various objects. However, there are limited studies regarding the realization of arbitrary grasping postures and twisting manipulation. Furthermore, the handling efficiency or the takt time of a handling task

Emerging worm-like soft robots with various soft materials and different actuation mechanism have been frequently discussed. It is very challenging for soft robots in realizing a fast and untethered crawling. In this article, a biomimetic magnet embedded worm-like robot (shorted as “MagWorm”) in the size of centimeter level is designed and investigated. The actuation of the MagWorm is achieved by housing

Pathological tremor is a kind of movement disorder that affects a wide range of patients with Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. Different from available clinical treatments for tremor, including drug and surgery therapy, a novel soft exoskeleton for tremor suppression (SETS) based on assistive technologies is proposed in this study. The SETS system is equipped with a controllable flexible semiactive

Pressurization of gas within embedded channels and cavities is a popular method for actuating soft robots. Various previous works examined the effects of internal fluid mechanics on this actuation approach, as well as on leveraging viscous effects to extend the capabilities of soft robots. However, no existing works studied the combined effects of fluid viscosity and compressibility, relevant to miniaturized

Pneu-net soft actuators, consisting of pneumatic networks of small chambers embedded in elastomeric structures, are particularly promising candidates in the society of soft robotics. However, there are few studies on the analytical modeling of pneu-net soft actuators, especially in the three-dimensional space. In this article, based on the minimum potential energy method and the continuum rod theory

The ability to navigate complex unstructured environments and carry out inspection tasks requires robots to be capable of climbing inclined surfaces and to be equipped with a sensor payload. These features are desirable for robots that are used to inspect and monitor offshore energy platforms. Existing climbing robots mostly use rigid actuators, and robots that use soft actuators are not fully untethered

This study addresses a design and calibration methodology based on numerical finite element method (FEM) modeling for the development of a soft tactile sensor able to simultaneously solve the magnitude and the application location of a normal load exerted onto its surface. The sensor entails the integration of a Bragg grating fiber optic sensor in a Dragon Skin 10 polymer brick (110 mm length, 24 mm

The development of miniaturized continuum robots has a wide range of applications in minimally invasive endoluminal interventions. To navigate inside tortuous lumens without impinging on the vessel wall and causing tissue damage or the risk of perforation, it is necessary to have simultaneous shape sensing of the continuum robot and its tip contact force sensing with the surrounding environment. Miniaturization

Self-regulation (or so-called homeostasis) is a property of all living organisms to maintain an internal stable state through specialized biofeedback mechanisms under varying external and internal conditions. Although these feedback mechanisms in living organisms are complex networks and hard to implement one-to-one in artificial systems, the new approaches in soft robotics may benefit from the concept

Dielectric elastomer actuators exhibit an unusual combination of large displacements, moderate bandwidth, low power consumption, and mechanical impedance comparable with human skin, making them attractive for haptic devices. In this article, we propose a wearable haptic communication device based on a two-by-two array of dielectric elastomer linear actuators. We briefly describe the architecture of

This study presents the design of a pneumatic artificial muscle with integrated soft optical sensing for estimation of muscle contraction length and contraction force. Each optical sensor uses an light emitting diode (LED)-photodiode pair to measure the light reflected by a silicone diaphragm embedded in the muscle. One diaphragm is designed to respond primarily to changes in muscle pressure, whereas

Dynamics, control, and sensing are still challenges for pneumatically actuated soft actuators. We consider feasible solutions based on a radially contracting actuator to overcome these challenges. The radially contracting actuator was inspired by the movement of the stomach wall. It was capable of achieving radial contraction by inflating its circular air chamber. A quasi-static model that relates

From small unicellular organisms to large mammals, swallowing is an important way for them to interact with their external environment. The majority of these animals swallow their targets for the purpose of hunting, and some fish and amphibians protect their cubs from external injury by swallowing them. Thus, swallowing can produce an efficient capture, keep the integrity of targets, and provide effective