Robotics: Science preceding science fiction

TL;DR

This paper reviews the evolution and potential of soft robotics, emphasizing innovations in materials, control, and simulation to expand applications and move toward artificial life.

Contribution

It introduces strategies for combining soft and hard robotics using composite materials and discusses advancements needed in control and modeling for future developments.

Findings

Soft robots are impacting health and medicine.

Composite materials can enhance robot performance.

Progress towards artificial life is feasible with current innovations.

Abstract

Robots and artificial machines have been captivating the public for centuries, depicted first as threats to humanity, then as subordinates and helpers. In the last decade, the booming exposure of humans to robots has fostered an increasing interest in soft robotics. By empowering robots with new physical properties, autonomous actuation, and sensing mechanisms, soft robots are making increasing impacts on areas such as health and medicine. At the same time, the public sympathy to robots is increasing. However, there is still a great need for innovation to push robotics towards more diverse applications. To overcome the major limitation of soft robots, which lies in their softness, strategies are being explored to combine the capabilities of soft robots with the performance of hard metallic ones by using composite materials in their structures. After reviewing the major specificities of hard and soft robots, paths to improve actuation speed, stress generation, self-sensing and actuation will be proposed. Innovations in controlling systems, modeling, and simulation that will be required to use composite materials in robotics will be discussed. Finally, based on recently developed examples, the elements needed to progress toward a new form of artificial life will be described.