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  • Review Article
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Biomedical applications of soft robotics

Nature Reviews Materials volume 3, pages 143–153 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Soft robotics enables the design of soft machines and devices at different scales. The compliance and mechanical properties of soft robots make them especially interesting for medical applications. Depending on the level of interaction with humans, different levels of biocompatibility and biomimicry are required for soft materials used in robots. In this Review, we investigate soft robots for biomedical applications, including soft tools for surgery, diagnosis and drug delivery, wearable and assistive devices, prostheses, artificial organs and tissue-mimicking active simulators for training and biomechanical studies. We highlight challenges regarding durability and reliability, and examine traditional and novel soft and active materials as well as different actuation strategies. Finally, we discuss future approaches and applications in the field.

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Fig. 1: Biomedical soft robots from a materials perspective.
Fig. 2: Soft robots for surgery and drug delivery.
Fig. 3: Wearable soft robots.
Fig. 4: Soft robots as prostheses.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge support from the European Commission through the Hybrid Heart (#767195) and I-SUPPORT (#643666) projects.

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  1. The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy

    Matteo Cianchetti, Cecilia Laschi, Arianna Menciassi & Paolo Dario

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  1. Matteo Cianchetti
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Contributions

C.L. and M.C. conceived the topic of the Review. M.C. analysed aspects related to prostheses, wearable devices and artificial organs. C.L. and M.C. analysed aspects related to assistive robots and body-part simulators. A.M. and P.D. analysed aspects related to surgery and drug delivery. All authors equally contributed to the writing and revising of the paper. All authors contributed to the discussion to draw conclusions and perspectives.

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Correspondence to Matteo Cianchetti.

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Intiutive Surgical: http://www.intuitivesurgical.com/ Ovesco: http://www.ovesco.com The Lee Company: http://www.theleeco.com/ Soft Robotics: https://www.softroboticsinc.com/ HybridHeart: http://www.hybridheart.eu/ BR Biomedical Pvt Ltd: http://www.brbiomedicals.com The Bionic Humanoid: http://www.jst.go.jp/impact/bionichumanoids/en/index.html

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Cianchetti, M., Laschi, C., Menciassi, A. et al. Biomedical applications of soft robotics. Nat Rev Mater 3, 143–153 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-018-0022-y

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