Liquid metal droplets enabled soft robots

Soft robots have attracted significant interest due to their suitability for applications in a variety of en-gineering and biomedical applications. Particularly, fluid-based soft robots, such as liquid metal robots endowed with exceptional deformability and conductivity, enable reconfigurable and self-adaptable navi-gation when exposed to various internal and external triggers and driving forces while high controllabil-ity is achieved as well as damage to the surroundings is mitigated due to compliance of the soft devices. Here, an overview of actuation modes for liquid metal-based soft robots is given and their correspond-ing mechanisms are detailed. Several potential applications of the liquid metal-based soft robots, such as drug delivery, cargo transportation, pumping, welding, reconfigurable electronics, and the design of multi-component devices, are reviewed. Finally, the current challenges in this research field and future directions are discussed.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Liquid metal-based soft robots, with exceptional deformability and conductivity, have attracted significant interest due to their suitability in various applications. This article provides an overview of the actuation modes and mechanisms for these robots, reviews potential applications, and discusses current challenges and future directions.