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1. Skin-inspired, sensory robots for electronic implants

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48903-z  

   Zhang, Lin; Xing, Sicheng; Yin, Haifeng; Weisbecker, Hannah; Tran, Hiep Thanh; Guo, Ziheng; Han, Tianhong; Wang, Yihang; Liu, Yihan; Wu, Yizhang; et al (December 2024, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Drawing inspiration from cohesive integration of skeletal muscles and sensory skins in vertebrate animals, we present a design strategy of soft robots, primarily consisting of an electronic skin (e-skin) and an artificial muscle. These robots integrate multifunctional sensing and on-demand actuation into a biocompatible platform using an in-situ solution-based method. They feature biomimetic designs that enable adaptive motions and stress-free contact with tissues, supported by a battery-free wireless module for untethered operation. Demonstrations range from a robotic cuff for detecting blood pressure, to a robotic gripper for tracking bladder volume, an ingestible robot for pH sensing and on-site drug delivery, and a robotic patch for quantifying cardiac function and delivering electrotherapy, highlighting the application versatilities and potentials of the bio-inspired soft robots. Our designs establish a universal strategy with a broad range of sensing and responsive materials, to form integrated soft robots for medical technology and beyond. 

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2. Spinning-enabled wireless amphibious origami millirobot

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30802-w  

   Ze, Qiji; Wu, Shuai; Dai, Jize; Leanza, Sophie; Ikeda, Gentaro; Yang, Phillip C.; Iaccarino, Gianluca; Zhao, Ruike Renee (December 2022, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Wireless millimeter-scale origami robots have recently been explored with great potential for biomedical applications. Existing millimeter-scale origami devices usually require separate geometrical components for locomotion and functions. Additionally, none of them can achieve both on-ground and in-water locomotion. Here we report a magnetically actuated amphibious origami millirobot that integrates capabilities of spinning-enabled multimodal locomotion, delivery of liquid medicine, and cargo transportation with wireless operation. This millirobot takes full advantage of the geometrical features and folding/unfolding capability of Kresling origami, a triangulated hollow cylinder, to fulfill multifunction: its geometrical features are exploited for generating omnidirectional locomotion in various working environments through rolling, flipping, and spinning-induced propulsion; the folding/unfolding is utilized as a pumping mechanism for controlled delivery of liquid medicine; furthermore, the spinning motion provides a sucking mechanism for targeted solid cargo transportation. We anticipate the amphibious origami millirobots can potentially serve as minimally invasive devices for biomedical diagnoses and treatments. 

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3. Untethered Fluidic Engine for High‐Force Soft Wearable Robots

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202400171  

   Di_Lallo, Antonio; Yu, Shuangyue; Slightam, Jonathon E; Gu, Grace X; Yin, Jie; Su, Hao (November 2024, Advanced Intelligent Systems)

   Fluid‐driven artificial muscles exhibit a behavior similar to biological muscles which makes them attractive as soft actuators for wearable assistive robots. However, state‐of‐the‐art fluidic systems typically face challenges to meet the multifaceted needs of soft wearable robots. First, soft robots are usually constrained to tethered pressure sources or bulky configurations based on flow control valves for delivery and control of high assistive forces. Second, although some soft robots exhibit untethered operation, they are significantly limited to low force capabilities. Herein, an electrohydraulic actuation system that enables both untethered and high‐force soft wearable robots is presented. This solution is achieved through a twofold design approach. First, a simplified direct‐drive actuation paradigm composed of motor, gear‐pump, and hydraulic artificial muscle (HAM) is proposed, which allows for a compact and lightweight (1.6 kg) valveless design. Second, a fluidic engine composed of a high‐torque motor with a custom‐designed gear pump is created, which is capable of generating high pressure (up to 0.75 MPa) to drive the HAM in delivering high forces (580 N). Experimental results show that the developed fluidic engine significantly outperforms state‐of‐the‐art systems in mechanical efficiency and suggest opportunities for effective deployment in soft wearable robots for human assistance. 

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4. Modular multi-degree-of-freedom soft origami robots with reprogrammable electrothermal actuation

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322625121  

   Wu, Shuang; Zhao, Tuo; Zhu, Yong; Paulino, Glaucio H (May 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Soft robots often draw inspiration from nature to navigate different environments. Although the inching motion and crawling motion of caterpillars have been widely studied in the design of soft robots, the steering motion with local bending control remains challenging. To address this challenge, we explore modular origami units which constitute building blocks for mimicking the segmented caterpillar body. Based on this concept, we report a modular soft Kresling origami crawling robot enabled by electrothermal actuation. A compact and lightweight Kresling structure is designed, fabricated, and characterized with integrated thermal bimorph actuators consisting of liquid crystal elastomer and polyimide layers. With the modular design and reprogrammable actuation, a multiunit caterpillar-inspired soft robot composed of both active units and passive units is developed for bidirectional locomotion and steering locomotion with precise curvature control. We demonstrate the modular design of the Kresling origami robot with an active robotic module picking up cargo and assembling with another robotic module to achieve a steering function. The concept of modular soft robots can provide insight into future soft robots that can grow, repair, and enhance functionality. 

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5. Inner Sleeve Constriction for Remote Timed Payload Deployment in Vine Robots

   https://doi.org/10.1109/SSRR68451.2025.11391261  

   Ciecierski, Johnathon; Bernal, Guadalupe; Merchan, Alejandro Alarcon; Boateng, Sidney Nimako; Fuentes, Francesco; Wang, Sicheng; Blumenschein, Laura H; Martinez, Melisa Orta; Temel, F Zeynep (October 2025, IEEE)

   Vine robots offer unique capabilities for navigating confined environments through growth via eversion, making them suitable for urban search and rescue operations. Prior research has demonstrated the potential of vine robots to deploy passive payloads or mobile agents for distributed mapping and exploration. However, existing deployment methods rely on passive delivery, pushing payloads toward the robot tip during growth, thus limiting control over deployment timing and location. In this work, we introduce a compact wireless gate mechanism designed to achieve controlled payload deployment within the vine robot. This mechanism operates by selectively constricting the vine’s inner sleeve, securely retaining payloads and releasing them upon receiving a remote command. Fully integrated into the robot’s structure, the gate allows unimpeded vine growth and supports wireless communication with an external mobile controller. Experiments with benchtop and integrated vine robots show that the gate remains co-located with the tip and enables on-command hold and release without impeding eversion. The gate supports sequential delivery of multiple payloads and can deploy irregular payloads by preparing specific accommodations. These results establish timed, location-accurate deployment for USAR scenarios while keeping vine robot hardware composition regular. 

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