Robots that physically interact with their surroundings, in order to accomplish some tasks or
assist humans in their activities, require to exploit contact forces in a safe and proficient …

Soft and continuum robots are transforming medical interventions thanks to their flexibility,
miniaturization, and multidirectional movement abilities. Although flexibility enables …

Since the emergence of soft robotics around two decades ago, research interest in the field
has escalated at a pace. It is fuelled by the industry's appreciation of the wide range of soft …

The compliance and deformability of soft robotics allow human–machine interactions in a
safe manner without the need of sophisticated control systems inherent in rigid-body robotic …

This study presents a novel robotic module that combines rigid, rigid but compliant, and soft
components to enable actuation, proprioceptive sensing, and variable stiffness. Three spring …

Recently, soft robotics research has focused on mechanisms to control the stiffness of robot
structures. There are several types of variable stiffness mechanisms that can change the …

The bending stiffness modulation mechanism for soft grippers has gained considerable
attention to improve grasping versatility, capacity, and stability. However, lateral stability is …

The use of a soft multi-fingered hand in handling fragile objects has been widely
acknowledged. Nevertheless, high flexibility often results in decreased load capacity …

Soft fingertips have distinct intrinsic features that allow robotic hands to offer adjustable and
manageable stiffness for grasping. The stability of the grasp is determined by the contact …

Some special tasks require human operations and cannot be performed by robots or other
autonomous equipment, such as special industrial assembly and surgical procedures in …