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Updated: Apr 25, 2026
08:24
Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes
Published on: February 28, 2020
8.6K
Soft Robots Powered by Sustainable Energy
Stefano Mariani1, Ruowen Tu1, Kliton Cikalleshi1,2
1Bioinspired Soft Robotics Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.
Chemical Reviews
|April 24, 2026
Summary
Soft robots utilizing sustainable energy sources like heat and sunlight offer eco-friendly, autonomous operation. Material engineering is key to transforming environmental stimuli into motion for sustainable robotic systems.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Materials Science
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Soft robots offer eco-friendly and autonomous operation by using sustainable energy.
- Material selection and engineering are crucial for efficient energy conversion and actuation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review soft robots powered by abundant environmental energy sources.
- To distinguish between general environmental energy and truly sustainable operation.
- To identify pathways for environmentally realistic, autonomous, and long-lived soft robotic systems.
Main Methods:
- Systematic evaluation of actuators and soft robotic systems based on energy sources and operating conditions.
- Examination of material properties (chemical, physical, mechanical) for sustainable energy exploitation.
- Analysis of material integration into composites and mechanism design.
Main Results:
- Various energy sources (heat, humidity, light, osmotic, pH, triboelectricity, wind) can power soft robots.
- Thermo-responsive, hygroscopic, photothermal, osmotic, pH-sensitive, triboelectric, and wind-dispersed materials enable actuation.
- Distinction made between sustainable and non-sustainable energy-dependent systems.
Conclusions:
- Material science advancements are critical for developing sustainable soft robots.
- Pathways exist for creating autonomous, long-lived soft robots for environmental applications.
- Potential applications include environmental monitoring and reforestation.
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