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Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Rapid Manufacturing of Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots

Published on: November 8, 2019

Soft Actuators for Small-Scale Robotics.

Lindsey Hines¹, Kirstin Petersen², Guo Zhan Lum¹

¹Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstraße 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

|December 30, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This review surveys soft actuator methods for small robots. Soft, active materials enable complex movements and multifunctionality in devices lacking traditional components.

Keywords:

micro and nanoscale devices robotics soft actuators

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Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Materials Science
Actuation Technologies

Background:

Soft robots present unique design challenges due to integrated actuation, sensing, and body functionality.
Miniature soft robots (sub-centimeter) often lack onboard power, sensing, computation, and control systems.
Soft, active materials are ideal for these applications, offering large deformations and complex motions.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a comprehensive review of current methodologies for soft actuators.
To highlight soft actuator approaches applicable to nanometer- to centimeter-scale robotic systems.
To discuss recent advancements in materials, composites, and implementations for soft robotics.

Main Methods:

Survey of existing literature on soft actuator technologies.
Analysis of approaches suitable for micro- and millimeter-scale robotic applications.
Examination of material development and novel implementations for soft active materials.

Main Results:

Soft actuators demonstrate a wide range of stimuli responses and impressive capabilities.
Examples show large deformations, high motion complexity, and multifunctionality in soft robots.
Recent research focuses on new materials, composites, and innovative uses of soft material properties.

Conclusions:

Soft, active materials are highly promising for developing advanced small-scale robotic systems.
Continued research in materials and implementation strategies will drive innovation in soft robotics.
Soft actuators offer solutions for creating complex, multifunctional devices without traditional components.