Innovations in Soft Robotics: Enhancing Safety, Performance, and Dexterity

A special issue of Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This special issue belongs to the section "Robotics, Mechatronics and Intelligent Machines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 46

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Interests: solid mechanics; soft materials; structural dynamics; aerospace engineering; soft robotics; vibration; orbital mechanics; wearable sensing

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Guest Editor
Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Interests: materials science; bioelectronics; soft robotics to develop innovative biomedical devices
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soft robotics is an emerging field that leverages compliant materials, bio-inspired designs, and flexible actuation to create systems capable of safe and adaptive interactions with complex, dynamic environments. Unlike traditional rigid robots, soft robots are engineered with materials that mimic the elasticity of natural organisms, enabling them to conform, adapt, and interact delicately with both objects and humans. This multidisciplinary research area combines advances in materials science, organic chemistry, mechanics, control theory, and manufacturing technologies to overcome challenges in dexterity and operational safety. As applications expand—from biomedical devices and wearable assistive technologies to search-and-rescue operations and delicate manufacturing—the need for innovations that improve performance while ensuring user safety becomes increasingly critical.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to our Special Issue, “Innovations in Soft Robotics: Enhancing Safety, Performance, and Dexterity”.

The Special Issue aims to explore the latest innovations in soft robotics to enhance operational safety, improve performance metrics, and advance dexterity in practical applications.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Soft robotic materials and their fabrication techniques;
  • Mechanics of soft materials;
  • Actuation, control and sensing strategies for soft robots;
  • Human–soft robot interaction;
  • New applications of soft robotics.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Zixiao Liu
Dr. Wen Hong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soft robotics
  • human–soft robot interaction
  • actuation
  • soft materials

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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