Recent Advances in Soft Miniature Robotics: Design, Fabrication, Control, and Application

Dear Colleagues,

Soft robotics, inspired by the adaptability and resilience of biological systems, has emerged as a transformative field, facilitating the development of machines that safely interact with dynamic environments. These systems use compliant materials, biohybrid structures, and intelligent actuation mechanisms to attain unprecedented flexibility, enabling applications in medical devices, wearable technologies, environmental monitoring, and human–robot collaboration. By integrating advances in functional materials, additive manufacturing, and AI-driven control, soft robots bridge the gap between rigid automation and biological adaptability. They offer solutions for intricate tasks such as minimally invasive surgery, fragile object manipulation, and adaptive locomotion in unstructured terrains.

This Special Issue aims to explore innovations in soft robotics, fabrication, control strategies, and real-world applications, realized experimentally or computationally. We welcome contributions addressing (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Bioinspired Design: Novel architectures mimicking natural organisms (e.g., octopus arms, plant growth) for enhanced compliance and energy efficiency;
• Different Actuation Systems: Magnetic and elastic fields, light, pH, temperature;
• Advanced Materials: The development of stimuli-responsive polymers, liquid crystal elastomers, and self-healing composites for dynamic actuation and sensing;
• Fabrication Techniques: Innovations in 3D/4D printing, embedded sensing, and multi-material integration for scalable and customizable soft robotic systems;
• Control and Intelligence: Machine learning algorithms, closed-loop feedback systems, and proprioceptive sensing for autonomous decision making in complex environments;
• Human–Robot Interaction: Soft exoskeletons, assistive wearables, and safe physical collaboration frameworks;
• Medical and Industrial Applications: Case studies on minimally invasive surgical tools, rehabilitation devices, grippers for fragile objects, and environmental exploration robots.

We particularly encourage the submission of papers that explore multi-functional systems (e.g., sensing–actuation fusion) and scalability challenges in soft robotics deployment and reviews that synthesize progress in specific subdomains (e.g., underwater soft robots, origami-inspired designs).

We look forward to receiving your contributions and advancing the frontiers of soft robotics.

Prof. Dr. Rongjing Zhang
Prof. Dr. Patrick R. Onck
Guest Editors

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