Soft Robotics: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

In recent years, soft robotics has developed considerably, especially since the year 2018 when it became a hot field among current research topics. The attention that this field receives from researchers and the public is marked by the substantial increase in both the quantity and the quality of scientific publications. In this review, in order to create a relevant and comprehensive picture of this field both quantitatively and qualitatively, the paper approaches two directions. The first direction is centered on a bibliometric analysis focused on the period 2008–2022 with the exact expression that best characterizes this field, which is “Soft Robotics”, and the data were taken from a series of multidisciplinary databases and a specialized journal. The second direction focuses on the analysis of bibliographic references that were rigorously selected following a clear methodology based on a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria. After the selection of bibliographic sources, 111 papers were part of the final analysis, which have been analyzed in detail considering three different perspectives: one related to the design principle (biologically inspired soft robotics), one related to functionality (closed/open-loop control), and one from a biomedical applications perspective.

Advancements in materials, manufacturing, propulsion and localization: propelling soft robotics for medical applications

“…Hydrogel robots are composed of a water-based gel that can be easily molded and shaped. Ideal materials possess high elongation (>200%) and low Young’s modulus (0.1–10 MPa) ( Rus and Tolley, 2015 ; Hartmann et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2023 ), while Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) ( Shepherd et al, 2011 ; Gossweiler et al, 2015 ; Lu et al, 2018 ) and Ecoflex ( Shepherd et al, 2011 ; Rusu et al, 2023 ) are prevalent in existing soft robots. We highlight emerging smart materials that could enhance soft robotic performance and efficacy in this chapter.…”

A Wearable Device for Upper Limb Rehabilitation and Assistance Based on Fluid Actuators and Myoelectric Control

“…In the field of soft robotics, the most commonly used manufacturing processes are casting and 3D printing. In most situations, these two techniques are used collectively, with 3D printing being the technology for producing molds [29]. In this case, too, we have used casting as the main process to manufacture the actuators, and the molds were fabricated by 3D printing technology using polylactic acid (PLA) as the material.…”

Damage Prediction for Integrated DEAP and MRE Soft Actuators

“…Soft robotics is a young but fast-developing field. According to a systematic review [1] for the period 2008-2022, the number of articles that were published in the field of soft robotics over the period of 2018-2022 was over 6.5 times greater than in the more than twice as long period of 2008-2017. The basic areas of application of soft robotics include the construction of bionic robots and objects, applications in rehabilitation, exploration of unknown environments, elimination of damage caused by robot collisions in production processes, and human-robot collaboration [2].…”