Design Methodology for Soft Mechanisms, Machines, and Robots

Dear Colleagues,

Soft robots or machines have gained significant attention in the field of robotics. The attention is driven by new applications in biomedicine and healthcare. Numerous prototypes of a soft robot are constructed based on learning biological systems, particularly creatures. However, the definition of a soft robot is controversial; specifically, the soft actuator is often considered as the same as the direct actuator made of polymers (see the critique in the paper “Soft robotics: Definition and research issues” (doi: 10.1109/M2VIP.2017.8267170), where first the definitions of a soft power generator, soft controller, soft actuator, soft mechanism, and soft sensor are given, and subsequently the definitions of a full soft robot and a partially soft robot are given. Robots are considered as a specialized machine in that machines are more emphasized on systems that include mechanisms and actuators. In this Special Issue, the research contributions on design theory and methodology for soft mechanisms, machines, and robots are solicited. The scope of contributions is characterized by the following keywords. 

Prof. Dr. Wenjun (Chris) Zhang
Guest Editor

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