Timeline of soft robotics development. The plot shows the number of publications reporting soft robotics during the past two decades. Data was collected from Web of Science with the following search commands: soft AND (robot OR robots OR robotics OR actuator OR actuators OR actuation). The images show several examples of soft actuators. Image for Multigait soft robot32: Reproduced with permission. Copyright (2011) National Academy of Sciences. Image for Compliant gripper33: Reproduced with permission. Copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. Image for Automous octobot: Reproduced with permission.[34]Copyright 2016, Springer Nature. Image for Magnetic millirobot: Reproduced with permission.[35]Copyright 2018, Springer Nature. Image for Magnetic robotic thread: Reproduced with permission.[36]Copyright 2019, The American Association for the Advancement of Science. Image for Robotic brain implant.[37]Copyright 2023, The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
