Structure and Application of Soft Pneumatic Actuators

With the development of science and the continuous innovation of technology, soft pneumatic actuators have found widespread application in practical engineering. These actuators are crucial in robotics due to their flexibility, adaptability, and safety in handling delicate or irregular objects. Unlike their rigid counterparts, soft pneumatic actuators can securely manipulate objects of varying shapes, softness, and fragility, while remaining lightweight, controllable, and cost-effective. This makes them ideal for applications in fields like medical surgery, where precision and gentleness are paramount, as well as in other fields such as agriculture and food processing, where handling fragile produce is necessary. It is therefore essential to further develop this technology. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the advanced structural forms of soft actuators and their applications in diverse fields, synthesizing existing research and offering fresh perspectives. Overall, soft pneumatic actuators have considerable potential for application in a number of fields, due to a number of advantageous characteristics, including sustainability, light weight, simple design and high output force. Significant progress has been made in research globally, and future research is expected to further expand the scope of their application and increase their value.