Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their Applications
Soft robots inspired by natural organisms exhibit unprecedented deformation abilities for diverse applications leveraging various smart materials, intelligent structures, and actuation principles. At the same time, advancements in 3D printing technology empower contemporary 3D printers with higher r...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Advanced Intelligent Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202400699 |
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| _version_ | 1850218819181608960 |
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| author | Hao Liu Changchun Wu Senyuan Lin James Lam Ning Xi Yonghua Chen |
| author_facet | Hao Liu Changchun Wu Senyuan Lin James Lam Ning Xi Yonghua Chen |
| author_sort | Hao Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soft robots inspired by natural organisms exhibit unprecedented deformation abilities for diverse applications leveraging various smart materials, intelligent structures, and actuation principles. At the same time, advancements in 3D printing technology empower contemporary 3D printers with higher resolution, faster printing speed, and a broader selection of materials. The progression of 3D printing technologies offers additional avenues for fabricating soft robots, facilitating their practical utilization, and commercialization. This review summarizes fundamental 3D printing principles, encompassing fused filament fabrication, direct ink writing, vat photopolymerization, material jetting, and selective laser sintering and emphasizing their capabilities in material selection, multimaterial printability, soft robot fabrication, and smart material printing. This article is concluded with applications of 3D‐ and 4D‐printed soft robots and perspective on future designs and fabrication strategies is offered. This article bridges the gaps between soft polymers, 3D printing technologies, soft actuators, and robotic applications, providing guidance for multidisciplinary researchers in the domains of 3D printing and soft robotics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3ddb7b8098b74bf3b97273a890ca4c8a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2640-4567 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Intelligent Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-3ddb7b8098b74bf3b97273a890ca4c8a2025-08-20T02:07:35ZengWileyAdvanced Intelligent Systems2640-45672025-06-0176n/an/a10.1002/aisy.202400699Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their ApplicationsHao Liu0Changchun Wu1Senyuan Lin2James Lam3Ning Xi4Yonghua Chen5Department of Mechanical Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 ChinaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 ChinaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 ChinaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 ChinaDepartment of Data and Systems Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 ChinaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 ChinaSoft robots inspired by natural organisms exhibit unprecedented deformation abilities for diverse applications leveraging various smart materials, intelligent structures, and actuation principles. At the same time, advancements in 3D printing technology empower contemporary 3D printers with higher resolution, faster printing speed, and a broader selection of materials. The progression of 3D printing technologies offers additional avenues for fabricating soft robots, facilitating their practical utilization, and commercialization. This review summarizes fundamental 3D printing principles, encompassing fused filament fabrication, direct ink writing, vat photopolymerization, material jetting, and selective laser sintering and emphasizing their capabilities in material selection, multimaterial printability, soft robot fabrication, and smart material printing. This article is concluded with applications of 3D‐ and 4D‐printed soft robots and perspective on future designs and fabrication strategies is offered. This article bridges the gaps between soft polymers, 3D printing technologies, soft actuators, and robotic applications, providing guidance for multidisciplinary researchers in the domains of 3D printing and soft robotics.https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.2024006993D printingadditive manufacturingrobotic applicationssoft actuatorssoft robots |
| spellingShingle | Hao Liu Changchun Wu Senyuan Lin James Lam Ning Xi Yonghua Chen Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their Applications Advanced Intelligent Systems 3D printing additive manufacturing robotic applications soft actuators soft robots |
| title | Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their Applications |
| title_full | Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their Applications |
| title_fullStr | Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their Applications |
| title_short | Advances in 3D and 4D Printing of Soft Robotics and Their Applications |
| title_sort | advances in 3d and 4d printing of soft robotics and their applications |
| topic | 3D printing additive manufacturing robotic applications soft actuators soft robots |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202400699 |
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