Fig. 1

Soft robots inspired by nature demonstrating superior performance over traditional robots. a Jamming-based soft gripper picking up a wide range of objects [5], b Soft quadruped robot glowing in the dark using chemiluminescence [6], c Soft-continuum manipulator grasping a sphere during field trials [7], d Soft growing robot navigating by exploiting contact with terrain [8], e Soft rehabilitation glove assisting humans with functional grasp pathologies [9], f Tapered soft gripper inspired by octopus arms providing high dexterity and flexibility [10], g Untethered soft-bodied robot executing agile locomotion [11], h Soft, autonomous robot performing untethered operation [12], i Soft robotic fish exploring underwater along coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean [13]. Images have been obtained from publicly available resources and their intellectual property belongs to the authors, sources, and publishers of the cited references