Bibliography of Soft Robotics (S25)¶
The readings are a centerpiece of the course. We will together be exploring the soft robotics and art literature. Following are some suggested starting points for robotics literature searches. The Guide to Library Resources page addresses more details of the literature search process.
The papers are categorized in the following sections with brief descriptions. The citations in the descriptions link further below to the full bibliographic references. A few papers relate to the Related Work Videos.
The bibliographies from previous course iterations are archived:
Bibliography of Soft Robotics (S21), first iteration, quite expansive exploration of soft robotics
Bibliography of Soft Robotics (S22), second iteration, somewhat more focused on silicone devices
Bibliography of Soft Robotics (S23), third iteration, trimmed more toward student interests
Bibliography of Soft Robotics (S24), fourth iteration, different set of student-selected papers
Surveys and Overviews of Soft Robotics¶
A 2013 survey of biologically inpired soft robots [R35] (2013).
A survey of soft robots in 2015 from a biomimetic perspective [R74]. (2015).
Soft robotics: Technologies and systems pushing the boundaries of robot abilities [R38] (2016).
Soft Actuators for Small-Scale Robotics [R24] (2017).
Soft Mobile Robots: a Review of Soft Robotic Locomotion Modes [R85] (2021).
Manipulators¶
Design of a soft 2D robotic arm [R54] (2014). Multiple segments flexing in a horizontal plane.
Closed structure soft robotic gripper [R68] (2018).
Octopus Arm-Inspired Tapered Soft Actuators with Suckers for Improved Grasping [R102] (2020).
Inflatable Particle-Jammed Robotic Gripper Based on Integration of Positive Pressure and Partial Filling [R96] (2022).
DeltaHands: A Synergistic Dexterous Hand Framework Based on Delta Robots [R81] (2024).
Sensors¶
Actuators¶
jamSheets: thin interfaces with tunable stiffness enabled by layer jamming [R67] (2014).
Soft LEGO [R41] (2018). Modular soft pneumatically-driven LEGO blocks compatible with rigid LEGO blocks. Includes design examples of mixed hard and soft structures.
Electroactive textile actuators [R20] (2018). A variety of fabric actuators using dielectric effects (and high voltages).
Printing ferromagnetic domains for untethered fast-transforming soft materials [R36] (2018).
Customizable Three-Dimensional-Printed Origami Soft Robotic Joint With Effective Behavior Shaping for Safe Interactions [R106] (2019).
A five-way directional soft valve with a case study: a starfish like soft robot [R114] (2020).
Inflatable soft jumper inspired by shell snapping [R18] (2020).
Soft Electrohydraulic Actuators for Origami Inspired Shape-Changing Interfaces [R116] (2021).
Bio-Inspired Miniature Soft Robots Fueled By Light [R19] (2023).
Earthworm-inspired multimodal soft actuators [R89] (2023).
Programmable inflatable origami [R62] (2023).
Reconfigurable kirigami skins steer a soft robot [R77] (2023).
Robotic Metamaterials: A Modular System for Hands-On Configuration of Ad-Hoc Dynamic Applications [R13] (2024).
Energy and Power¶
Pneumatic Energy Sources for Autonomous and Wearable Soft Robotics [R97] (2014). Survey of power solutions.
Control, Dynamics, and Modeling¶
Modeling locomotion of a soft-bodied arthropod [R75] (2010). Analysis of caterpillar locomotion, intended to inspire biomimetic soft locomotion.
Design and Fabrication of Soft Robots¶
Thermally Tunable, Self-Healing Composites [R10] (2014). Novel open-cell foam coated in wax.
Survey of methods for fabrication of soft fluidic elastomer robots [R53] (2015).
An integrated design and fabrication strategy for entirely soft, autonomous robots [R98] (2016). Fully soft robots with microfluidic logic and chemical fuel.
Soft Robotic Blocks: Introducing SoBL, a Fast-Build Modularized Design Block [R42] (2016).
Development of magnet connection of modular units for soft robotics [R40] (2017).
Fabrication, modeling, and control of plush robots [R6] (2017).
Animatronic soft robots by additive folding [R107] (2018).
A Design and Fabrication Approach for Pneumatic Soft Robotic Arms Using 3D Printed Origami Skeletons [R109] (2019).
Design and Computational Modeling of a 3D Printed Pneumatic Toolkit for Soft Robotics [R115] (2019). Compliant and rigid parts fabricated using 3D printing.
Bubble casting soft robotics [R33] (2021).
Printed silicone pneumatic actuators for soft robotics [R84] (2021). Rapid Liquid Printing of silicone to fabricate without casting.
Therms-Up!: DIY Inflatables and Interactive Materials by Upcycling Wasted Thermoplastic Bags [A1] (2021).
Programmable Digital Weaves [R43] (2022). video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQfsXoXeAwg
Locomotion¶
Undulatory serpentine locomotion [R65] (2013). Snake comprising four fluidic elastomer actuators, includes rigid components for power and control.
Untethered jumping soft robot [R90] (2014). Uses chemical fuel for explosive propulsion.
Controllable ‘Somersault’ Magnetic Soft Robotics: [R110] (2014). Polymer devices with embedded magnets controlled by external field.
Bioinspired setae for soft worm robot locomotion [R51] (2018).
Eversion and Retraction of a Soft Robot Towards the Exploration of Coral Reefs [R47] (2019).
A Bistable Jumping Robot with Pure Soft Body Actuated by Twisted Artificial Muscle [R112] (2021).
Effects of lateral undulation in granular medium burrowing with a peristaltic soft robot [R14] (2023).
Microfluidic Circuits¶
Swimming Robots¶
Autonomous Soft Robotic Fish Capable of Escape Maneuvers Using Fluidic Elastomer Actuators [R55] (2014).
Bioinspired locomotion and grasping in water: the soft eight-arm OCTOPUS robot [R11] (2015).
A Wire-driven Elastic Robotic Fish and its Design and CPG-Based Control [R45] (2022).
Designs of the Biomimetic Robotic Fishes Performing Body and/or Caudal Fin (BCF) Swimming Locomotion: A Review [R101] (2021).
Human-Robot Interaction¶
Wearable soft sensing suit for human gait measurement [R58] (2014).
Exo-Glove: A Wearable Robot for the Hand with a Soft Tendon Routing System [R29] (2015).
Puffy, a friendly inflatable social robot [R92] (2018). Video and abstract. See also Politecnico di Milano video page.
Anthropomorphic Face Robot having Soft Mouth Mechanism [R93] (2019). A set of actuated lips situated on a skull model.
Is a Soft Robot More “Natural”? Exploring the Perception of Soft Robotics in Human–Robot Interaction [R34] (2022).
Soft, Wearable Robotics and Haptics: Technologies, Trends, and Emerging Applications [R113] (2022).
Biomimicry and Biomechanics¶
Camouflage and Display for Soft Machines [R61] (2012).
Biomedical Applications¶
Robotics References¶
Cited References¶
Amir Ali Amiri Moghadam, Seyedhamidreza Alaie, Suborna Deb Nath, Mahdie Aghasizade Shaarbaf, James K. Min, Simon Dunham, and Bobak Mosadegh. Laser Cutting as a Rapid Method for Fabricating Thin Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Robots. Soft Robotics, 5(4):443–451, June 2018. doi:10.1089/soro.2017.0069.
E. Mert Bahçeci and Aykut Erbaş. Contraction response of a polyelectrolyte hydrogel to nonuniformly applied electric fields. Soft Matter, 20(48):9673–9682, December 2024. doi:10.1039/D4SM01000K.
Gianpietro Battocletti, Dimitris Boskos, Domagoj Tolić, Ivana Palunko, and Bart de Schutter. Entanglement Definitions for Tethered Robots: Exploration and Analysis. IEEE Access, 12:178153–178170, 2024. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3507217.
Emma Benjaminson, Matthew Travers, and Rebecca Taylor. Steering Magnetic Robots in Two Axes with One Pair of Maxwell Coils. In 2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 6332–6338. October 2020. doi:10.1109/IROS45743.2020.9341078.
Michael J. Bennington, Tuo Wang, Jiaguo Yin, Sarah Bergbreiter, Carmel Majidi, and Victoria A. Webster-Wood. Design and Characterization of Viscoelastic McKibben Actuators with Tunable Force-Velocity Curves. In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 1–7. April 2023. doi:10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122014.
James M. Bern, Grace Kumagai, and Stelian Coros. Fabrication, modeling, and control of plush robots. In 2017 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 3739–3746. September 2017. doi:10.1109/IROS.2017.8206223.
Lorenzo Campioni, Gianluca Dimonte, Giorgia Sciarrone, Gabriele Righi, Conor Walsh, Marta Gandolla, Giulio Del Popolo, Silvestro Micera, and Tommaso Proietti. Preliminary Evaluation of a Soft Wearable Robot for Shoulder Movement Assistance. IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, pages 1–1, 2025. doi:10.1109/TMRB.2025.3527708.
Minghong Chen, Deshan Wang, Jiakang Zou, Lining Sun, Jin Sun, and Guoqing Jin. A Multi-Module Soft Robotic Arm with Soft End Effector for Minimally Invasive Surgery. In 2019 2nd World Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Manufacturing (WCMEIM), 461–465. November 2019. doi:10.1109/WCMEIM48965.2019.00097.
Zheng Chen, Stephan Shatara, and Xiaobo Tan. Modeling of Biomimetic Robotic Fish Propelled by An Ionic Polymer–Metal Composite Caudal Fin. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 15(3):448–459, June 2010. doi:10.1109/TMECH.2009.2027812.
Nadia G. Cheng, Arvind Gopinath, Lifeng Wang, Karl Iagnemma, and Anette E. Hosoi. Thermally Tunable, Self-Healing Composites for Soft Robotic Applications. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 299(11):1279–1284, 2014. doi:10.1002/mame.201400017.
M. Cianchetti, M. Calisti, L. Margheri, M. Kuba, and C. Laschi. Bioinspired locomotion and grasping in water: The soft eight-arm OCTOPUS robot. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 10(3):035003, May 2015. doi:10.1088/1748-3190/10/3/035003.
Sarah Costrell, Mahirah Alam, Roberta L. Klatzky, Michael E. McHenry, Lynn M. Walker, and Melisa Orta Martinez. A Magnetic Soft Device for Tactile Haptic Actuation of the Fingertip. In 2023 IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), 48–55. July 2023. doi:10.1109/WHC56415.2023.10224478.
Zhitong Cui, Shuhong Wang, Violet Yinuo Han, Tucker Rae-Grant, Willa Yunqi Yang, Alan Zhu, Scott E Hudson, and Alexandra Ion. Robotic Metamaterials: A Modular System for Hands-On Configuration of Ad-Hoc Dynamic Applications. In Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI '24, 1–15. New York, NY, USA, May 2024. Association for Computing Machinery. doi:10.1145/3613904.3642891.
Riddhi Das, Saravana Prashanth Murali Babu, Alessio Mondini, and Barbara Mazzolai. Effects of lateral undulation in granular medium burrowing with a peristaltic soft robot. In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 1–6. April 2023. doi:10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10122062.
Dylan Drotman, Saurabh Jadhav, David Sharp, Christian Chan, and Michael T. Tolley. Electronics-free pneumatic circuits for controlling soft-legged robots. Science Robotics, February 2021. doi:10.1126/scirobotics.aay2627.
Mable Fok, Qidi Liu, and Mei Yang. Biomimicry in Microwave Photonic and Fiber Optic Sensors Embedded Soft Robotics. In 2022 Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exhibition (OFC), 01–03. March 2022. URL: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9748388 (visited on 2025-01-22).
Abhinav M. Gaikwad, Alla M. Zamarayeva, Jamesley Rousseau, Howie Chu, Irving Derin, and Daniel A Steingart. Highly Stretchable Alkaline Batteries Based on an Embedded Conductive Fabric. Advanced Materials, 24(37):5071–5076, 2012. doi:10.1002/adma.201201329.
Benjamin Gorissen, David Melancon, Nikolaos Vasios, Mehdi Torbati, and Katia Bertoldi. Inflatable soft jumper inspired by shell snapping. Science Robotics, 5(42):eabb1967, May 2020. doi:10.1126/scirobotics.abb1967.
Ming Gu and Tim J. Echtermeyer. Bio-Inspired Miniature Soft Robots Fueled By Light. In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 1–6. April 2023. doi:10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121980.
J. Guo, C. Xiang, T. Helps, M. Taghavi, and J. Rossiter. Electroactive textile actuators for wearable and soft robots. In 2018 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 339–343. April 2018. doi:10.1109/ROBOSOFT.2018.8404942.
Pilwon Heo, Gwang Min Gu, Soo-jin Lee, Kyehan Rhee, and Jung Kim. Current hand exoskeleton technologies for rehabilitation and assistive engineering. International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing, 13(5):807–824, May 2012. doi:10.1007/s12541-012-0107-2.
Elizabeth Gallardo Hevia, Louis De La Rochefoucauld, and Robert J. Wood. Towards a Microfluidic Microcontroller Circuit Library for Soft Robots. In 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 7138–7144. May 2022. doi:10.1109/ICRA46639.2022.9812219.
Ken Hinckley. So you're a program committee member now: On excellence in reviews and meta-reviews and championing submitted work that has merit. January 2015. URL: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/youre-program-committee-member-now-excellence-reviews-meta-reviews-championing-submitted-work-merit/.
Lindsey Hines, Kirstin Petersen, Guo Zhan Lum, and Metin Sitti. Soft Actuators for Small-Scale Robotics. Advanced Materials, 29(13):1603483, 2017. doi:10.1002/adma.201603483.
G. Hiramandala, T. Calais, T. Stalin, A. Chooi, A. R. Plamootil Mathai, S. Jain, Elgar Vikram Kanhere, and P. Valdivia y Alvarado. Design and Additive Manufacturing of a Hedgehog-Inspired Soft Robot Companion. In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 1–7. April 2023. doi:10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121945.
Toshinori Hirose, Shingo Kitagawa, Shun Hasegawa, Yohei Kakiuchi, Kei Okada, and Masayuki Inaba. Waterproof Soft Robot Hand with Variable Stiffness Wire-driven Finger Mechanism Using Low Melting Point Alloy for Contact Pressure Distribution and Concentration. In 2022 IEEE 5th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 109–116. April 2022. doi:10.1109/RoboSoft54090.2022.9762208.
Trung Thien Hoang, Luke Sy, Mattia Bussu, Mai Thanh Thai, Harrison Low, Phuoc Thien Phan, James Davies, Chi Cong Nguyen, Nigel H. Lovell, and Thanh Nho Do. A Wearable Soft Fabric Sleeve for Upper Limb Augmentation. Sensors, 21(22):7638, January 2021. doi:10.3390/s21227638.
Filip Ilievski, Aaron D. Mazzeo, Robert F. Shepherd, Xin Chen, and George M. Whitesides. Soft Robotics for Chemists. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 50(8):1890–1895, 2011. doi:10.1002/anie.201006464.
Hyunki In, Brian Byunghyun Kang, MinKi Sin, and Kyu-Jin Cho. Exo-Glove: A Wearable Robot for the Hand with a Soft Tendon Routing System. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 22(1):97–105, March 2015. doi:10.1109/MRA.2014.2362863.
Alexandra Ion, Robert Kovacs, Oliver S. Schneider, Pedro Lopes, and Patrick Baudisch. Metamaterial Textures. In Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–12. Montreal QC Canada, April 2018. ACM. doi:10.1145/3173574.3173910.
Alexandra Ion, David Lindlbauer, Philipp Herholz, Marc Alexa, and Patrick Baudisch. Understanding Metamaterial Mechanisms. In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1–14. Glasgow Scotland Uk, May 2019. ACM. doi:10.1145/3290605.3300877.
Hao Jiang, Zhanchi Wang, Yusong Jin, Xiaotong Chen, Peijin Li, Yinghao Gan, Sen Lin, and Xiaoping Chen. Hierarchical control of soft manipulators towards unstructured interactions. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 40(1):411–434, January 2021. doi:10.1177/0278364920979367.
Trevor J. Jones, Etienne Jambon-Puillet, Joel Marthelot, and P.-T. Brun. Bubble casting soft robotics. Nature, 599(7884):229–233, November 2021. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04029-6.
Jonas Jørgensen, Kirsten Borup Bojesen, and Elizabeth Jochum. Is a Soft Robot More “Natural”? Exploring the Perception of Soft Robotics in Human–Robot Interaction. International Journal of Social Robotics, 14(1):95–113, January 2022. doi:10.1007/s12369-021-00761-1.
Sangbae Kim, Cecilia Laschi, and Barry Trimmer. Soft robotics: A bioinspired evolution in robotics. Trends in Biotechnology, 31(5):287–294, May 2013. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2013.03.002.
Yoonho Kim, Hyunwoo Yuk, Ruike Zhao, Shawn A. Chester, and Xuanhe Zhao. Printing ferromagnetic domains for untethered fast-transforming soft materials. Nature, 558(7709):274–279, June 2018. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0185-0.
Rebecca K. Kramer, Carmel Majidi, Ranjana Sahai, and Robert J. Wood. Soft curvature sensors for joint angle proprioception. In 2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 1919–1926. September 2011. doi:10.1109/IROS.2011.6094701.
Cecilia Laschi, Barbara Mazzolai, and Matteo Cianchetti. Soft robotics: Technologies and systems pushing the boundaries of robot abilities. Science Robotics, 1(1):eaah3690, December 2016. doi:10.1126/scirobotics.aah3690.
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J. Lee, J. Eom, W. Choi, and K. Cho. Soft LEGO: Bottom-Up Design Platform for Soft Robotics. In 2018 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 7513–7520. October 2018. doi:10.1109/IROS.2018.8593546.
J. Lee, W. Kim, W. Choi, and K. Cho. Soft Robotic Blocks: Introducing SoBL, a Fast-Build Modularized Design Block. IEEE Robotics Automation Magazine, 23(3):30–41, September 2016. doi:10.1109/MRA.2016.2580479.
Yue Li, Juan Montes, Bernhard Thomaszewski, and Stelian Coros. Programmable Digital Weaves. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 7(2):2891–2896, April 2022. doi:10.1109/LRA.2022.3145948.
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Dong Qin, Younan Xia, and George M. Whitesides. Soft lithography for micro- and nanoscale patterning. Nature Protocols, 5(3):491–502, March 2010. doi:10.1038/nprot.2009.234.
Keshav Rajasekaran, Hyung Dae Bae, Sarah Bergbreiter, and Miao Yu. 3D Printed Bio-Inspired Hair Sensor for Directional Airflow Sensing. In 2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 8945–8950. October 2020. doi:10.1109/IROS45743.2020.9340711.
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