Fluid-Driven Soft Actuators for Soft Robots

Abstract

This paper focuses on soft actuators that utilize fluid power to drive soft robots and describes their features and applications. First, it discusses how soft actuators function as elemental technology in robots. This is followed by an introduction to the driving principle and features of fluid-driven soft actuators. It also classifies these soft actuators based on the fluid power source and the active mode of operation. Furthermore, an overview is provided on the materials employed in soft actuators and the control and evaluation methods for them. Finally, currently reported applications of these soft actuators, such as wearable devices, grippers, and bio-inspired robots, are presented.