Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-09-11DOI: 10.1177/21695172261485887
Sudong Lee, Josie Hughes
{"title":"A Multimodal, Multicontact, and Scalable Soft Robot Skin Enabled by Layered Structures.","authors":"Sudong Lee, Josie Hughes","doi":"10.1177/21695172261485887","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21695172261485887","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The human tactile sensing system, comprising various mechanoreceptors, is essential for perceiving and interacting with the environment and objects. It enables the detection of multimodal stimuli and their localization. Inspired from this system, we propose a robotic skin designed to enhance sensing modalities and localization capabilities. The robotic skin utilizes a layered design incorporating two sensing mechanisms: a Hall-effect sensor and a force-sensing resistor (FSR). The Hall-effect sensor detects global movement by recognizing stimuli in both the normal and shear directions; on the contrary, the FSR provides position information with higher spatial resolution. The Hall-effect sensor and the FSR mimic the functions of Ruffini endings and Merkel cells, respectively, in the human tactile system. Structurally, the stiffness differences between layers are designed to ensure proper functional operation. As a result, the skin can detect both normal and shear stimuli while providing localization capabilities with restricted crosstalk. The skin is attached to the tip of a robotic arm, demonstrating the ability to control 6 degrees of freedom through various types of touch. Furthermore, it enables the robot to protect itself from external obstacles and facilitates intuitive control through human-robot interaction. By interpreting and responding to external touch, the robotic skin enables intuitive interaction, making it highly suitable for dynamic and unpredictable environments, as well as collaborative settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"21695172261485887"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148957793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-09-09DOI: 10.1177/21695172261481994
Yaxiong Wang, Yaqiong Tang, Lei Zhang, Tuanjie Li, Xuechi Wang
{"title":"An Effective Motion Planning and Collision Avoidance Algorithm for Nonlinear Tensegrity Robots.","authors":"Yaxiong Wang, Yaqiong Tang, Lei Zhang, Tuanjie Li, Xuechi Wang","doi":"10.1177/21695172261481994","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21695172261481994","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tensegrity robots offer advantages including lightweight, low power consumption, low shape-control cost, and robust environmental adaptability, demonstrating significant application potential in many fields such as space exploration, medical rehabilitation, and biomimicry. However, due to their unique mechanical properties and strong geometric nonlinearity characteristics, efficient motion planning and collision avoidance remain technical challenges. To address this challenge, this article initially presents an effective method for the nonlinear mechanical modeling and the calculation of balanced configurations during the motion process of tensegrity robots. This is achieved by transforming the cable state transition between tension and slack into a linear complementary problem. Then, an optimization method is developed to determine the driving force required to propel the robot to the target positions. Next, a motion planning algorithm within the actuation space is put forward to account for the possible collisions between the internal rods and external obstacles. Finally, the study is validated through both numerical simulations and experiments. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm facilitates an effective motion planning procedure for clustered tensegrity structures, enabling the acquisition of a continuous motion trajectory while guaranteeing collision avoidance.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"21695172261481994"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148915061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Coupled Neuromusculoskeletal Finite Element Simulation Reveals Biomechanical Adaptation and Joint Tissue Risk of Ankle Exoskeleton Intervention after Stroke.","authors":"Yujia Gao, Shitan Wang, Yufeng Lin, Zilin Wang, Chenglong Feng, Lu Xiao, Chenghua Jiang, Wenxin Niu","doi":"10.1177/21695172261486297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21695172261486297","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stroke-induced lower limb motor dysfunction leads to abnormal gait and severely compromises quality of life. While exoskeletons are effective rehabilitation devices, their long-term biomechanical responses and tissue-level risks remain unclear. This study employed a synergy-informed neuromusculoskeletal simulation coupled with personalized finite element (FE) analysis to quantify the biomechanical adaptations and tissue-level effects of ankle exoskeleton intervention for stroke patients. Eight male patients with chronic stroke were recruited for a 2-week exoskeleton intervention. Biomechanical data were collected before and after intervention under different exoskeleton-assisted walking conditions. The most accurate synergy-informed neuromusculoskeletal model (correlation coefficient 0.759, and root mean square error 0.164 Nm/kg for the ankle) revealed that exoskeleton-assisted walking induces compensatory biomechanical adaptations, characterized by distal assistance and proximal compensation, manifested as increased knee extension moments on the affected side and higher joint and muscle forces on the unaffected side. FE analysis showed increased ankle contact pressures, medial force transmission, lateral collateral ligament forces, and forefoot stresses after intervention. These findings suggest potential long-term risk for tissue degeneration. Current ankle exoskeletons should still be cautiously regarded as rehabilitation interventions rather than long-term assistive devices. Exoskeleton rehabilitation protocols should integrate individualized ankle and foot assessments, and exoskeleton design optimization should prioritize lightweight structures and pressure-sensitive control to enhance rehabilitation efficacy while minimizing potential long-term risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"21695172261486297"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148901860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Encountered-Type 3D Haptic Shape Display by Simulating Finger-Object Contact Regions.","authors":"Zemin Wang, Zhanhong Tan, Dongjie Zhao, Yijian Qin, Jiahui Zhang, Xinyue Wang, Shengjie Xiao, Yuru Zhang, Dangxiao Wang","doi":"10.1177/21695172261477712","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21695172261477712","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Encountered-type pin-array shape displays allow users to freely explore a simulated shape using bare fingers. However, current pin-array shape displays are limited to discontinuous shapes or 2.5D shapes. Here, we propose a novel shape display principle to render touch feedback between a virtual hand and objects in a virtual reality environment. The configuration of the shape display with 20 actuators consists of four finger-like units. The shape display renders the local contact regions between the shape and the user's finger. Users can sense the touch of the virtual objects by encountering the finger-type shape display. A fiber-reinforced origami soft actuator was designed to allow the finger-like unit to bend and laterally swing like a finger joint. The device's kinematic model and the shape planning algorithm for finger-object interaction were developed to map the virtual shape and user fingers to the finger-object contact regions and the actual actuation parameters. Six categories of 11 virtual shapes were rendered by the shape display. The results indicated that the proposed device can render 3D continuous edge and surface-type shapes. We envision that the shape display can render a wide range of shapes in combination with a mobile platform to reduce the complexity of haptic shape display in virtual worlds using a relatively small number of actuators.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"21695172261477712"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148766332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1177/21695172251404160
Jasleen Gabrie, Claudia Lee, Lei Wu, Ceren Kütahya, Wenhui Song, Martin Birchall
{"title":"Systematic Review: Sterilization Techniques for Emerging Soft Robotics Used in Health Care Applications.","authors":"Jasleen Gabrie, Claudia Lee, Lei Wu, Ceren Kütahya, Wenhui Song, Martin Birchall","doi":"10.1177/21695172251404160","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21695172251404160","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soft robotics solutions to unmet clinical needs represent an emergent disruptive technology. However, clear guidelines on the selection of sterilization methods that consider the preservation of essential physical and functional characteristics of such materials are presently lacking. We reviewed 76 studies that assessed the morphological, mechanical, and functional impact of sterilization on chemically stable and stimuli-responsive hydrogels and polymers. Gamma irradiation was well-tolerated in both stable and stimuli-responsive polymers and conferred additional beneficial material properties. Steam sterilization was suitable for most hydrogels and stimuli-responsive polymers, whereas ethylene oxide sterilization produced mixed effects in stable polymers.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"543-554"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145859859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2025-11-24DOI: 10.1177/21695172251401476
Han Yu, Yue Zhu, Yijia Cheng, Gantong Chen, Shengxi Zhou
{"title":"Prestressed Thin-Plate Actuators for Enhancing Performance of Pneumatic Soft Robots.","authors":"Han Yu, Yue Zhu, Yijia Cheng, Gantong Chen, Shengxi Zhou","doi":"10.1177/21695172251401476","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21695172251401476","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the rapid development of soft robotics, there is a growing demand for compact, high-performance, and flexible actuators. Pneumatic actuators are particularly favored by researchers due to their high efficiency, low cost, and ease of fabrication. However, the existing pneumatic actuators are faced with challenges such as large volume, low actuating frequency, and insufficient propulsion. For the first time, this work presents a novel thin-plate pneumatic actuator based on prestressed principles, featuring an efficient energy storage and release mechanism. The actuator consists of a prestretched layer, a constrained layer, and a chamber (PCC), with a total thickness of less than 1 mm. Therefore, the elastic potential energy is preserved in the prestretched film within the actuator body, which enables high actuating frequency and large propulsion. Effects of key structural parameters on the propulsion of the PCC actuator are investigated by a mathematical model, finite element analysis, and experiments to further elucidate its energy storage and release mechanism. Moreover, the PCC actuator is applied to realize a soft gripper, a prestressed hinge, and a wireless jellyfish-like robot, whose performances are verified by experiments. Results demonstrate the high flexibility and rapid response of the soft gripper and prestressed hinge. In particular, the gripper is capable of stably gripping objects 40 times its weight for extended periods. In addition, the wireless jellyfish-like robot achieves an upward swimming speed of 58.03 mm/s, which is superior to the existing soft jellyfish-like robots of similar size. Overall, the PCC actuator features a lightweight structure and high energy storage capacity, providing significant potential for innovative applications in soft robotics.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"578-588"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145717162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1177/21695172251400152
Jianing Sun, Miao Feng, Dezhi Yang, Yexun Wei, Guoying Gu
{"title":"High-Degree-of-Freedom Fabric-Based Soft Glove with Dexterous Thumb Assistance.","authors":"Jianing Sun, Miao Feng, Dezhi Yang, Yexun Wei, Guoying Gu","doi":"10.1177/21695172251400152","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21695172251400152","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fabric-based soft gloves, due to their safety, light weight, and compliance, exhibit promising potential in assisting individuals with hand impairments. However, most existing soft gloves focus solely on finger flexion and extension, with limited consideration for thumb assistance. This restricts their effectiveness in tasks requiring extensive workspace and dexterous manipulation. In this work, we present a new class of fabric-based soft glove with 15 degrees of freedom (DOFs), including finger flexion/extension, thumb abduction/adduction, thumb opposition/reposition, and finger abduction. The high-DOF fabric-based soft glove integrates bidirectional fabric-based pneumatic actuators (FPAs) for finger flexion/extension, X-crossing pneumatic artificial muscles (X-PAMs) for thumb assistance, and Y-shaped bladed FPAs for finger abduction. To enhance the thumb tip workspace, we optimize the X-PAM positioning by modeling thumb kinematics from an anatomical perspective. The experimental results show that the optimized passive workspace of the thumb, assisted by the glove, encompasses approximately 70% of its active workspace. Through our mirror control system, we further demonstrate the glove's capability to perform complex gestures and versatile grasping tasks with various object geometries, sizes (0.1-11.5 cm), and masses (1.7-500.0 g). The glove supports both power and precision grasps, as well as fine manipulations.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"566-577"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147367749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1177/21695172251409883
Salaheddin Ahmadi, Sheldon Cummings, Cayla Roy, Hosain Bagheri, Bryce Tucker, Brian R Cherry, Rebecca E Fisher, Hamid Marvi
{"title":"Designing Soft Arms with Octopus-Like Dexterity: Insights from Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Finite Element Analysis.","authors":"Salaheddin Ahmadi, Sheldon Cummings, Cayla Roy, Hosain Bagheri, Bryce Tucker, Brian R Cherry, Rebecca E Fisher, Hamid Marvi","doi":"10.1177/21695172251409883","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21695172251409883","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Octopuses are capable of remarkably intricate movements without a skeletal framework, making them a compelling model for the design of soft robotic arms. While previous research has explored the bending, elongation, and shortening of octopus arms, the spatial distribution of specific muscle groups along the arm and their functional implications remain underexplored. In this study, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging of 24 arms from <i>Octopus bimaculoides</i> was used to quantify the distribution of transverse, aboral, oral, and lateral internal longitudinal muscles, as well as the axial core housing the nerve cord. Results revealed a progressive increase in axial core area and a decrease in transverse muscle area from proximal to distal arm regions, while longitudinal muscle distributions showed no consistent trend. These anatomical insights informed the design of four soft arm models. Two models incorporated either uniform or octopus-inspired muscle group distributions, and the other two included an additional passive axial core. Using silicone rubber to mimic muscle mechanics, each design was evaluated via finite element analysis for tip displacement and arm curvature across various motions. The bioinspired model without an axial core achieved the greatest tip displacement, while the inclusion of the core reduced performance. Moreover, a parametric analysis of transverse-assisted bending demonstrated that even modest changes in the activation levels of transverse and longitudinal muscles can produce markedly different arm curvatures. This highlights how a bioinspired architecture can enable complex movements through simple modulation of relative muscle activation. Together, these findings underscore the value of biologically informed design principles in advancing the dexterity and agility of next-generation soft robotic arms.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":"13 4","pages":"607-617"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148413754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1177/21695172261417752
Qu He, Weikun Li, Guangmin Dai, Hao Chen, Qimeng Liu, Xiaoqing Tian, Jie You, Weicheng Cui, Michael S Triantafyllou, Dixia Fan
{"title":"SpineWave: Harnessing Fish Rigid-Flexible Spinal Kinematics for Enhancing Biomimetic Robotic Locomotion.","authors":"Qu He, Weikun Li, Guangmin Dai, Hao Chen, Qimeng Liu, Xiaoqing Tian, Jie You, Weicheng Cui, Michael S Triantafyllou, Dixia Fan","doi":"10.1177/21695172261417752","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21695172261417752","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A core soft-robotics challenge for underwater locomotion is reconciling soft actuation's compliance with the control tractability and robustness of rigid structures. We present <i>SpineWave</i>, a biomimetic robotic fish that adopts a compliant design within a hybrid soft-rigid architecture: rigid, additively manufactured vertebrae embed opposing magnets that provide passive magnetic compliance, enabling soft-like undulatory bending and impact tolerance while retaining a pressure-tolerant, analytically tractable backbone. Rather than manual tuning, we optimize a low-parameter central-pattern-generator (CPG) controller via hardware-in-the-loop efficient global optimization (EGO). The EGO-tuned gaits deliver a 38% increase in cruising speed and a 35% reduction in turning radius relative to pre-optimization baselines, and achieve 29% energy savings when exploiting vortex wakes, while maintaining stable body-wave propagation across modular morphologies. To our knowledge, <i>SpineWave</i> is the first fish robot to realize soft-like compliance and field robustness using an entirely rigid, magnetically coupled exoskeleton-endoskeleton. This combination of passive magnetic compliance and data-driven CPG optimization advances soft-robotic locomotion and offers a pressure-tolerant, modular platform for long-duration environmental monitoring and exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"689-705"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146121259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft roboticsPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1177/21695172251405996
Shuoqi Wang, Wei Wang
{"title":"A Stiffness-Tunable Soft Actuator with Adjustable Jamming for Dexterous Manipulation.","authors":"Shuoqi Wang, Wei Wang","doi":"10.1177/21695172251405996","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21695172251405996","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this work, we introduce the Jamming Adjustable PneuNet Actuator (JAPA), a novel soft robotic finger that enables both stiffness modulation and tunable bending behavior through a flexible hybrid jamming approach. This method combines the high stiffness gain of layer jamming and the adaptability of granular jamming. By adjusting the effective length of the paper-based layer jamming using a magnetically positioned sliding mechanism, JAPA can dynamically reshape its bending profile. Meanwhile, the granular jamming element distributed throughout the finger can provide adaptive stiffness reinforcement across all bending configurations. The combination of adjustable stiffness and reconfigurable bending profile substantially enhances JAPA's multidirectional force control and dexterity. To evaluate its performance, we conducted a series of experiments to assess JAPA's stiffness modulation, pull-off and output forces, multidirectional force control, and workspace. Experimental results demonstrate that JAPA can achieve a maximum stiffness gain of up to 3.55×, with adjustable stiffness distribution contributing to a workspace expansion exceeding 200% and a more than 300% improvement in multidirectional force modulation. To visualize its multidirectional force control ability, we used a single JAPA unit to operate a computer cursor via a TrackPoint, dragging the cursor in different directions. To further validate its manipulation capability, we constructed a four-unit JAPA gripper capable of in-hand object rotation and safe handling of diverse objects, including delicate and irregularly shaped items. The proposed soft finger design holds promise for applications in assistive robotics, adaptive grasping, and human-interactive devices, where both safety and functional versatility are critical.</p>","PeriodicalId":94210,"journal":{"name":"Soft robotics","volume":" ","pages":"596-606"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145822478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}