Robots gentle enough for the human body.
Soft robots are made from flexible materials that bend, squeeze and adapt, which makes them promising for procedures where hard metal tools struggle. Here you can learn how they work, where they could help patients, and what researchers are building next.
Choose your door
Same subject, two depths. You can switch at any time.
I'm curious
Plain-English guides, pictures and real examples. No degree needed. Find out what soft robots are and how they might change procedures such as endoscopy and surgery.
Start with Learn →I'm a researcher
Core topics, reading lists, open resources, venues and opportunities for people working in or entering soft and medical robotics.
Go to For Researchers →Our body is soft and delicate, so the tools operating within it should be too
Much of the body is delicate, curved and narrow. Soft robots are designed to work with those conditions rather than against them.
Gentle by design
Compliant materials deform on contact, which can reduce the forces applied to tissue.
Made for twisty spaces
Flexible bodies can bend around corners and follow anatomy where rigid instruments cannot.
Small and simple
Fluid-driven designs can be miniaturised and built from low-cost materials, opening the door to single-use devices.
Medical applications
Many of these are still in the research stage. We will be clear about what is proven and what is still being tested.
Endoscopy
Soft, steerable devices to explore the gut, ear and airways more comfortably.
Surgery
Flexible tools for minimally invasive and microsurgical procedures.
Rehabilitation
Soft wearable devices that assist movement while staying comfortable.
Drug delivery
Soft carriers and actuators that move or release treatments in a controlled way.
The Steerable Balloon Otoendoscope
A soft, fluid-driven robot designed to navigate the ear canal. Follow the project from simulation and fabrication through to sensing and testing.
Explore the body atlasOne soft robot, one idea, one paper. Every week.
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