Enabling Metal‐Based Soft Robotics Through Investment Casting

Soft robotic systems enable safe and adaptive interaction in fields ranging from medicine to bioinspired in situ exploration. Most soft robots rely on elastomers for compliance, which limits controllability and strength. To address these limitations, a manufacturing strategy is presented that enables the fabrication of aluminum alloy‐based soft robots. Compliance in the metallic system is achieved through thin‐walled monolithic flexure structures. The manufacturing process utilizes vacuum investment casting and subsequent heat treatment to convert additively manufactured polymer or resin patterns into high‐strength Aluminum Alloy 7075 in T6 temper (AA7075‐T6) soft robotic components. Because the metallic structures behave linearly elastically, standard beam and flexure models can be used for design and kinematic prediction. Several functional components, including flexure joints, continuum manipulators, and grippers, are fabricated and tested. Experimental results confirm that wall thicknesses of 0.5 mm or less can be realized. The approach circumvents long‐standing limitations of elastomer‐based soft robotics and establishes a scalable path to high‐performance metal‐based soft robotic systems for demanding domains, including industrial automation and space applications.