![]() ![]() To generate a motion, energy is supplied to a transducer with a stimulus, typically heat, light or pressure. On the other side, mechanical engineers require new materials indispensable for alternative and innovative solutions.Īn overview of the methodology to develop soft actuators capable of complex motions using soft smart materials is described in Figure 1. The main question to be answered, “What is the next step?”, is often faced by material scientists once a new transducer is fully developed and optimized, where the choice of the device’s proper use remains unclear. An additional complexity is the technological transfer from fundamental research to industrial application. On the other side, it is actually the generation of such numerous solutions that is presenting a difficulty, from a materials point of view, to properly select the most suitable solution for a given device functionality and application ranging from flexible medical devices to industrial grippers. Currently, a vast set of soft materials and kinematics are described, and new solutions are still evolving to overcome the challenges of the field. Their main advantage is that they are made of flexible materials and are based on deformation for actuation. In this aspect, soft actuators are proposed as a suitable alternative to solve these problems, ensuring a safe and flexible actuation solution. However, the main limitations are the restricted degrees of freedom and the potential danger during the process of human–machine interaction. Conventionally, classic robotics systems are made of rigid connections and actuators, allowing high forces to be applied and accuracy in motion. ![]() Nowadays, soft matter has gained increased interest as source material for the fabrication of robotic devices with a large range of applications. The review ends with a Perspectives section, from material science and microrobotic points of view, on the soft materials’ future and close future challenges to be overcome. As a final note, a series of manufacturing methods are described and compared, from molding to 3D and 4D printing. Guidelines are provided to design actuators and to integrate asymmetry enabling motions along any of the six basic degrees of freedom (translations and rotations), and strategies towards the programming of more complex motions are discussed. In addition, the great potential of soft transducers are outlined in terms of kinematic capabilities, illustrated by the related application. In this context, a challenging overview of the new materials as well as their classification and comparison (performances and characteristics) are proposed. Special attention is devoted to recent progress in developing innovative stimulus-responsive materials and approaches for complex motion programming for soft robotics. The present review targets encompassing and rationalizing a framework which will help a wider scientific audience to understand, sort and design future soft actuators and methods enabling complex motions. Traditionally, more complex motions beyond pure elongation and bending are addressed by the robotics community. Inspired by this, materials engineers today are developing multidisciplinary approaches to produce new active matters, focusing on the kinematics allowed by the material itself more than on the possibilities offered by its design. The scientific community paid particular interest to active soft materials, such as soft actuators, for their potential as transducers responding to various stimuli aiming to produce mechanical work. During the last years, great progress was made in material science in terms of concept, design and fabrication of new composite materials with conferred properties and desired functionalities.
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