Search Results (88)

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have shown great potential in the field of soft robotics due to their unique actuation capabilities. Despite the growing number of experimental studies in the soft robotics field, theoretical research remains limited. In this paper, a dynamic model of a bionic arm using an LCE fiber as artificial muscle is established, which exhibits periodic oscillation controlled by periodic illumination. Based on the assumption of linear damping and angular momentum theorem, the dynamics equation of the model oscillation is derived. Then, based on the assumption of linear elasticity model, the periodic spring force of the fiber is given. Subsequently, the evolution equations for the cis number fraction within the fiber are developed, and consequently, the analytical solution for the light-excited strain is derived. Following that, the dynamics equation is numerically solved, and the mechanism of the controllable oscillation is elucidated. Numerical calculations show that the stable oscillation period of the bionic arm depends on the illumination period. When the illumination period aligns with the natural period of the bionic arm, the resonance is formed and the amplitude is the largest. Additionally, the effects of various parameters on forced oscillation are analyzed. The results of numerical studies on the bionic arm can provide theoretical support for the design of micro-machines, bionic devices, soft robots, biomedical devices, and energy harvesters. Full article

Kirigami-inspired geometries offer a lightweight, bioinspired strategy for friction enhancement and anchoring in soft robotics. This study presents a bioinspired kirigami structure designed to enhance the anchoring performance of soft robotic systems through systematic geometric and actuation parameter optimization. Drawing inspiration from the anisotropic friction mechanisms observed in reptilian scales, we integrated linear, triangular, trapezoidal, and hybrid kirigami cuts onto flexible plastic sheets. A compact 12 V linear actuator enabled cyclic actuation via a custom firmware loop, generating controlled buckling and directional friction for effective locomotion. Through experimental trials, we quantified anchoring efficiency using crawling distance and stride metrics across multiple cut densities and actuation conditions. Among the tested configurations, the triangular kirigami with a 4 × 20 unit density on 100 µm PET exhibited the most effective performance, achieving a stride efficiency of approximately 63% and an average crawling speed of ~47 cm/min under optimized autonomous operation. A theoretical framework combining buckling mechanics and directional friction validated the observed trends. This study establishes a compact, tunable anchoring mechanism for soft robotics, offering strong potential for autonomous exploration in constrained environments. Full article

Recent developments in 3D bioprinting offer innovative alternative solutions to classical treatments for head and neck defects. Soft tissues in an anatomical area as diverse in composition as the head and neck are complex in terms of structure and function. Understanding how cellular interaction underlies functionality has led to the development of bioinks capable of mimicking the natural morphology and roles of different human parts. Moreover, from the multitude of recently developed materials, there are now many options for building scaffolds that potentiate the activity of these cells. The fidelity and accuracy of the utilized techniques ensure maximum precision in terms of model construction. Emerging technologies will allow for improved control of the scaffold, facilitating optimal results in the treatment of various pathologies, without concerns about the availability of donors, immunological response, or any other side effects that traditional treatments withhold. This paper explores the current landscape of bioprinted scaffolds and their applications in the head and neck region, with a focus on the properties and use of natural and synthetic bioinks in the attempt to replicate the biomechanical features of native tissues. Customization capabilities that support anatomical precision and biofunctionality are also addressed. Moreover, regulatory requirements, as well as current challenges related to biocompatibility, immune response, and vascularization, are critically discussed in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the pathway to clinical application. Full article

In this study, the power system of a bionic robotic fish has been significantly simplified, resulting in a reduced volume and enhanced flexibility of both the structure and movement. To comprehensively understand the dynamics, a fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analysis was conducted, considering the intricate interplay between the mollusk’s structure and the surrounding fluid. This analysis took into account the dissipation due to fluid viscosity and the influence of the wake performance around the mollusk. The study examined the relationships between the driving frequency of the input signal and various parameters such as fluid pressure, propulsion force, and propulsion displacement of the soft robot fish head. With the robot fish’s head fixed, the amplitude of propulsion motion and propulsion force were measured. The simulation results closely matched the experimental findings, indicating their potential to predict the propulsion characteristics of the soft robot fish in fluid environments and further improve its performance. Full article

To improve the traction performance of mobile mechanisms on soft ground, such as paddy fields, tidal flats, and swamps, a mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) foot was adopted as a bionic prototype to explore the influence and contribution of the plantar morphology of the toes and webbing on the anti-subsidence function during its locomotion on wet and soft substrates and to apply this to the bionic design of high-traction wheel grousers. A handheld three-dimensional laser scanner was used to scan the main locomotion postures of a mallard foot during ground contact, and the Geomagic Studio software was utilized to repair the scanned model. As a result, the main three-dimensional geometric models of a mallard foot during the process of touching the ground were obtained. The plantar morphology of a mallard foot was divided into three typical parts: the plantar irregular edge curve, the lateral webbing surface, and the medial webbing surface. The main morphological feature curves/surfaces were extracted through computer-aided design software for the fitting and construction of a mathematical model to obtain the fitting equations of the three typical parts, and the mathematical model construction of the plantar irregular morphology of the mallard foot was completed. In order to verify the sand-fixing and flow-limiting characteristics of this morphological feature, based on the discrete element method (DEM), the numerical simulation of the interaction between the plantar surface of the mallard foot and sand particles was carried out. The simulation results show that during the process of the mallard foot penetration into the loose medium, the lateral and medial webbing surfaces cause the particles under the foot to mainly move downward, effectively preventing the particles from spreading around and significantly enhancing the solidification effect of the particles under the sole. Based on the principle and technology of engineering bionics, the plantar morphology and movement attitude characteristics of the mallard were extracted, and the characteristics of concave middle and edge bulge were applied to the wheel grouser design of paddy field wheels. Two types of bionic wheel grousers with different curved surfaces were designed and compared with the traditional wheel grousers of the paddy field wheel. Through pressure-bearing simulation and experiments, the resistance of different wheel grousers during the process of penetrating into sand particles was compared, and the macro–micro behaviors of particle disturbance during the pressure-bearing process were analyzed. The results show that a bionic wheel grouser with unique curved surfaces can well encapsulate sand particles at the bottom of the wheel grouser, and it also has a greater penetration resistance, which plays a crucial role in improving the traction performance of the paddy field wheel and reducing the disturbance to the surrounding sand particles. This paper realizes the transformation from the biological model to the mathematical model of the plantar morphology of the mallard foot and applies it to the bionic design of the wheel grousers of the paddy field wheels, providing a new solution for improving the traction performance of mobile mechanisms on soft ground. Full article

To achieve obstacle-avoiding puncture in breast interventional surgery, a robotics system based on three-fingered breast target-point manipulation is proposed and designed. Firstly, based on the minimum number of control points required for three-dimensional breast deformation control and the bionic structure of the human hand, the structure and control scheme of the robotics system based on breast target-point manipulation are proposed. Additionally, the workspace of the robotics system is analyzed. Then, an optimal control point selection method based on the minimum resultant force principle is proposed to achieve precise manipulation of the breast target point. Concurrently, a breast soft tissue manipulation framework incorporating a Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) system is developed to enhance operational accuracy. A dynamic model of breast soft tissue is developed by using the manipulative force–displacement data obtained during the process of manipulating breast soft tissue with mechanical fingers to realize the manipulative force control of breast tissue. Finally, through simulation and experiments on breast target-point manipulation tasks, the results show that this robotic system can achieve spatial control of breast positioning at arbitrary points. Meanwhile, the robotic system proposed in this study demonstrates high-precision control with an accuracy of approximately 1.158 mm (standard deviation: 0.119 mm), fulfilling the requirements for clinical interventional surgery in target point manipulation. Full article

Pneumatic soft manipulators are one of the current development trends in the field of manipulators. The soft manipulator that has been developed at present still has problems with single function and poor load-bearing capacity. This paper designs a composite soft finger inspired by the human middle finger, featuring a dual-chamber pneumatic drive and embedded steel sheet structure. Utilizing the principles of moment equilibrium and virtual work, a theoretical model for the bending behavior of the soft finger is developed, and the correlation between the bending angle and driving air pressure is derived. The determination process of key parameters and their influence on bending deformation are explained in detail through simulation. The bending experiment confirmed the reliability of the theoretical model. The fingertip force test indicates that the composite finger exerts a greater force than the ordinary one, with the extra force equivalent to 42.57% of the composite finger’s own fingertip force. Subsequent tests on the soft robotic hand measured the hooking quality, gripping diameter, and gripping force. The hooking experiment confirmed that composite fingers have a stronger load-bearing capacity than ordinary fingers, with an extra capacity equivalent to 31.25% of the composite finger’s own load-bearing capacity. Finally, the grasping experiment demonstrates that the soft manipulator can grasp objects of varying shapes and weights, indicating its strong adaptability and promising applications. Full article

Soft robots are advantageous due to their flexibility, ability to interact with humans, and multifunctional adaptability. However, developing soft robots that are unrestrained and can be reprogrammed for reversible control without causing damage remains a significant challenge. The majority of soft robots have a bilayer structure with internal stress, which limits their motion to pre-programmed anisotropic structures. Taking inspiration from pillworms found in nature, we propose an approach for controlling and reprogramming the motion of actuators using infrared light as the driver and a laser-melted paraffin wax (PW) shell as the controller. The dual-purpose shell can not only protect the actuator but can also alter its initial motion behavior to achieve multiple programming, profile modeling, object grasping, and directional crawling tasks, thereby enabling active changes to the motion strategy in response to external stimuli. This method can also be extended to other materials with similar properties and multi-stimulus responses, offering a new pathway for developing unconstrained, autonomous soft robots and intelligent devices. Full article

Goats can walk freely and flexibly in complex environments such as concave and convex or soft ground. And their flexible spine has functions such as adjusting balance and providing auxiliary power during movement, while the limbs only have support functions. The spine has an adjustable and decisive role in the pressure on the sole of the hoof of the goat. Therefore, the goat spine was taken as the bionic prototype, the three-dimensional force distribution of the goat body space was analyzed, and the optimal spinal space curve was explored, combined with the goat gait cycle. Based on the study of spinal curve arrangement and placement, the spinal curve was stretched along the grouser length direction. The soil contact surface structure of the track monomer was constructed based on functional simulation. And the bionic structure of the track monomer with superior adhesion performance was explored. The results of simulation analysis and soil tank test both showed that the attachment performance of bionic structure was better than that of an ordinary structure. It showed that adding bionic curves to the contact surface of the track monomer could significantly improve the adhesion performance, and the bionic structure with a single bionic curve arranged on the complete contact surface of the track monomer had the best adhesion performance. Moreover, the adhesion of the optimal track monomer bionic structure was increased by 19.22 N compared with an ordinary structure in the soil tank test, which verified the superiority of the track monomer bionic structure design. It provides a new method and a new idea for improving the adhesion performance of tracked vehicle in hilly areas. Full article

This paper reviews the research progress of bionic soft robot technology learned from octopuses. The number of related research papers increased from 760 in 2021 to 1170 in 2024 (Google Scholar query), with a growth rate of 53.95% in the past five years. These studies mainly explore how humans can learn from the physiological characteristics of octopuses for sensor design, actuator development, processor architecture optimization, and intelligent optimization algorithms. The tentacle structure and nervous system of octopus have high flexibility and distributed control capabilities, which is an important reference for the design of soft robots. In terms of sensor technology, flexible strain sensors and suction cup sensors inspired by octopuses achieve accurate environmental perception and interaction. Actuator design uses octopus muscle fibers and movement patterns to develop various driving methods, including pneumatic, hydraulic and electric systems, which greatly improves the robot’s motion performance. In addition, the distributed nervous system of octopuses inspires multi-processor architecture and intelligent optimization algorithms. This paper also introduces the concept of expected functional safety for the first time to explore the safe design of soft robots in failure or unknown situations. Currently, there are more and more bionic soft robot technologies that draw on octopuses, and their application areas are constantly expanding. In the future, with further research on the physiological characteristics of octopuses and the integration of artificial intelligence and materials science, octopus soft robots are expected to show greater potential in adapting to complex environments, human–computer interaction, and medical applications. Full article

Based on soft body structure and unique gait of bending and stretching, Soft Bionic Inchworm Robots (SBIRs) are used in pipeline inspection and terrain exploration. Many existing SBIRs rely on complex production mechanisms and are cable-driven, which hinders rapid production and smooth movement through complex environments, respectively. To address these challenges, this paper introduces a 3D-printed SBIR, featuring a 3D-printed body actuated by magnetic forces. We introduce the design and production process of the 3D-SBIR and analyze its motion gait. Subsequently, the material composition model and bending deformation model of the robot are developed based on the theory of hyper-elastic materials. The accuracy of the model is validated using simulation analysis and experimental testing of the robot. Meanwhile, we carry out a magnetic simulation analysis and discuss the factors influencing the size of the magnetic force. Finally, a series of experiments are conducted to prove the excellent locomotion capability of the robot. The 3D-SBIR demonstrates remarkable flexibility and multimodal movement capabilities. It can navigate through narrow curved passages with ease, passively overcome obstacles, climb steps up to 0.8 times its body height, and perform a seamless transition while moving across a horizontal plane onto a vertical plane. The 3D-SBIR proposed in this paper is characterized by rapid production, cable-free actuation, and multimodal motion capabilities, making it well suited for moving in unstructured environments. Full article

Given the growing complexity of underwater operation tasks, particularly in confined spaces, turbulent environments, and dynamic object manipulation, the limitations of traditional rigid robotic arms are becoming ever more evident. To tackle these challenges, this paper proposes the development of a soft robotic arm modeled after octopus tentacles, incorporating biomimetic suckers. To tackle these challenges, this paper proposes the development of a soft robotic arm modeled after octopus tentacles, incorporating biomimetic suckers. By imitating the functional structure and suction cups of an octopus arm, a soft arm with a dual-segment continuous structure and eight-wire drive control is designed, integrating a flexible suction cup at the distal segment. A three-dimensional, dual-segment eight-wire driven segmented constant curvature motion model is developed to enable precise bending and rotational movements. In underwater grasping experiments, the soft robotic arm exhibited enhanced grasping stability, particularly in underwater environments, where it effectively copes with fluid disturbances and the capture of dynamic objects. This substantially increased the reliability and efficiency of underwater operations. Full article

Implants made of titanium and its alloys are currently widely used in the human body. A series of surface modification methods developed nowadays enable titanium alloy implants to serve effectively in the human body for a long time. This paper reviews three different types of surface modification technologies for biomedical titanium alloys: physical, chemical, and biological, with particular attention to the assistance of these three technologies on the biological properties of titanium alloys. The physical method can change the surface morphology of titanium implants and prepare specific coatings for the implants, such as oxide films, bioactive molecules, drugs, etc. Chemical and biological surface modification technologies can minimize bacterial adhesion on the implant surface, improve the integration of soft tissue around the implant, prevent the occurrence of peri-implantitis, and accelerate the process of damage repair. An ideal titanium implant surface should balance the optimal surface morphology, chemical properties, and bionic characteristics to accelerate bone integration, enhance stability, and reduce peri-implant inflammation. Future research should focus on combining technologies, exploring interactions at the cellular and molecular levels, and conducting extensive in vitro and in vivo studies to verify the effectiveness and safety of modified surfaces. The progress in these fields will help overcome the existing limitations, improve the performance of implants, and obtain better clinical results. Full article

To explore the coupling relationship between information propagation behaviors and evolution dynamics in swarm systems, this paper establishes the SEBAR model based on mean field theory with a macroscopic view of information dissemination. Then, the balance points and basic reproduction number are calculated and a proof of equilibrium stability from the point of view of system stability is given. In addition, the influence of model parameters on propagation behaviors is also analyzed. To stimulate the emergence of cooperative behaviors in a swarm system, a repeated “prisoner’s dilemma” game based on controllable individuals is proposed under the framework of bionic “soft control”. The combination of information propagation and game strategies is used to realize information regulation. The simulation results show that the proposed models and methods can reflect the information communication patterns and evolution characteristics. It also illustrates the viability and effectiveness of regulating information through the evolutionary game. Full article

Quadruped robots, with their biomimetic structure, are capable of stable locomotion in complex terrains and are vital in rescue, exploration, and military applications. However, developing multi-modal robots that feature simple motion control while adapting to diverse amphibious environments remains a significant challenge. These robots need to excel at obstacle-crossing, waterproofing, and maintaining stability across various locomotion modes. To address these challenges, this paper introduces a novel leg–fin integrated propulsion mechanism for a bionic quadruped robot, utilizing rapidly advancing soft materials and integrated molding technologies. The robot’s motion is modeled and decomposed using an improved central pattern generator (CPG) control network. By leveraging the control characteristics of the CPG model, global control of the single-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism is achieved, allowing smooth transitions between different motion modes. The design is verified through simulations conducted in the Webots environment. Finally, a physical prototype of the quadruped compliant robot is constructed, and experiments are carried out to test its walking, turning, and obstacle-crossing abilities in various environments. The experimental results demonstrate that the robot shows a significant speed advantage in regions where land and water meet, reaching a maximum speed of 1.03 body lengths per second (bl/s). Full article