Editorial:
Special Issue on Soft Mechanisms and Soft Elements
Daisuke Sasaki*1, Taro Nakamura*2, Shuichi Wakimoto*3, and Masahiro Takaiwa*4
*1Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Design, Kagawa University
2217-20 Hayashicho, Takamatsu, Kagawa 761-0396, Japan
*2Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University
1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551, Japan
*3Associate Professor, Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University
3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
*4Professor, Graduate School of Technology, Industrial and Social Sciences, Tokushima University
2-1 Minamijosanjima, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan
Research on various types of soft robots has been conducted recently. Soft robots with flexible mechanisms are expected to contribute significantly to the development of robotics, not only in industrial applications but also in various other applications, such as those involving robot-human interactions. Flexible mechanisms cannot necessarily be realized using flexible materials alone; they can also be realized by adopting new approaches to conventional mechanisms. It is also desirable for sensors and other components to be flexible so that they do not reduce the flexibility of the mechanism. The development of these mechanisms and elemental technologies will lead to further development of soft robots.
This special issue will feature papers on the structures and applications of soft mechanisms and elements as well as on design and analysis methods and control techniques.
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.