Soft actuators for a new generation of soft bodied robots

The use of soft materials in robotics is suggested by the limitations that traditional robotics based on rigid links find in many applications. A soft body introduces unexplored possibilities in robotics, currently difficult to exploit, but source of rich behaviours. To this aim, new soft mechatronics is necessary, in particular in soft actuation principles. Many steps are still needed, they are already demonstrating the potential for a radical technological change in several application fields.