Soft Robotics in Medicine

Abstract

Robots are seeing increasing integration into the medical field, but they are often limited by their size, lack of flexibility, and other intrinsic impediments. However, an area of recent interest, soft robotics, has the potential to overcome these limitations, as soft robots are inherently flexible and compliant. These traits allow them to effectively navigate tight spaces and complex geometry, such as the interior of the human body. Additionally, the lack of distinction between structural members and actuators displayed by soft robots allows for a great deal of customization in their structure and function, with their so-termed soft actuators having a wide variety in composition and mode of activation. As such, it is conceivable that these soft robots, given enough time and research, will be able to solve many issues facing the medical field, such as targeted or sustained drug release, and improve many areas of medicine, through applications such as minimally invasive surgery