Soft, Wearable Robotics and Haptics: Technologies, Trends, and Emerging Applications

Recent advances in the rapidly growing field of soft robotics highlight the potential for innovations in wearable soft robotics to meet challenges and opportunities affecting individuals, society, and the economy. Some of the most promising application areas include wearable haptic interfaces, assistive robotics, and biomedical devices. Several attributes of soft robotic systems make them well-suited for use in human-wearable applications. Such systems can be designed to accommodate the complex morphology and movements of the human body, can afford sufficient compliance to ensure safe operation in intimate proximity with humans, and can provide context-appropriate haptic feedback or assistance to their wearers. Many soft robotic systems have been designed to resemble garments or wearables that are already widely used today. Such systems could one day become seamlessly integrated into a myriad of human activities and environments. Here, we review emerging advances in wearable soft robotic technologies and systems, including numerous examples from prior research. We discuss important considerations for the design of such systems based on functional concerns, wearability, and ergonomics. We describe an array of design strategies that have been adopted in prior research. We review wearable soft robotics applications in diverse domains, survey sensing and actuation technologies, materials, and fabrication methods. We conclude by discussing frontiers, challenges, and future prospects for soft, wearable robotics.