Deformation in Soft-Matter Robotics: A Categorization and Quantitative Characterization

There has been an increasing interest in soft-robotics research in recent years, and this is reflected in a number of reviews of the topic from different perspectives. For example, in what was probably the first review article using the term soft robotics, [1] focused on actuators, while [2] reviewed the topic by concentrating on fabrication techniques. Three more reviews addressed control [3], biomimetics [4], and materials [5], respectively. Furthermore, in the first issue of Soft Robotics, there are seven review articles from active researchers in the field. More recently, another review [6] and an edited book [7] have tried to cover a number of topics, including design, fabrication, and control as well as sensors and actuators. All of these efforts have helped draw attention to soft robotics and summarized some of the most recent studies.