Recent Progress in Soft Robotic Systems: Design, Control and Applications
A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensors and Robotics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2026 | Viewed by 49
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Soft robotics has grown rapidly in recent years, with systems that can bend, stretch, and safely interact in ways rigid robots cannot. Still, anyone in the field knows that accomplishment often comes with stubborn challenges. Achieving reliable sensing and control is one of the toughest challenges; soft bodies do not move in neat, predictable ways, so standard estimation and feedback methods tend to fall short. This Special Issue looks at how new sensing approaches and control strategies are shaping the next stage of soft robotics. We invite studies on sensor technologies, whether that means self-sensing materials, electronic skins, stretchable arrays, or hybrid systems, as well as studies that show how these sensors are actually integrated into robots. Equally important are papers that connect sensing to real control and application scenarios, from wearable healthcare devices to adaptive soft grippers. The goal is not just to showcase recent progress but also to point out limits, trade-offs, and open questions that will define where the field goes next.
Dr. Jahan Zeb Gul
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- soft robotics
- soft sensors
- tactile sensing
- robot skin
- control strategies
- stretchable electronics
- self-sensing material
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