Hydrogels in Soft Robotics: Past, Present, and Future
University of Castilla-La Mancha
Abstract
The rise of soft robotics in recent years has motivated significant developments in smart materials (and vice versa), as these materials allow for more compact robotic designs thanks to the embodied intelligence that they provide. Hydrogels have long been postulated as one of the potential candidates to be used in soft robotics due to their softness, elasticity, and smart properties that can be tuned with nanomaterials. However, nowadays they represent only a small percentage of the materials used in the field. In this perspective, the drawbacks that have hindered their utilization so far are analyzed as well as the current state of hydrogel-based soft actuators, sensors, and manufacturing possibilities. The…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 24.36
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 45
Authors
3Topics & keywords
- Soft robotics
- Robotics
- Artificial intelligence
- Soft materials
- Self-healing hydrogels
- Robot
- Computer science
- Actuator