Nature-inspired high-performance soft actuators: Mechanism, fabrication and application

Flexible actuators utilizing soft materials are increasingly valued in flexible devices and soft robotics for their adaptive and multifunctional capabilities. Enhancing performance hinges on the co-design of actuation mechanisms and functional material structures. However, conventional design paradigms constrain current soft actuators, leading to limited actuation performance and efficiency. Fortunately, high-efficient biological actuation strategies evolved in nature provide ample inspiration for high-performance solutions. This review summarizes innovative actuation mechanisms found in diverse biological systems, along with the translation of their principles into novel bio-inspired soft actuators. A comprehensive analysis of the performance, materials, and practical applications of these diverse actuators is presented. Finally, the review outlines emerging trends towards multimodal-responsive and intelligent adaptive capabilities in novel bio-inspired flexible actuators and discusses the major challenges and future opportunities. This work aims to provide valuable insights for developing bio-inspired flexible devices/systems with diversified actuation configurations, superior actuating performance, and advanced intelligence.