With the advancement of the materials science, the chemistry, and the control technology, substantial knowledge about the mollusks is gained, including the octopus, the worm, and the starfish, which helps the development of a new type of robots:the soft robots. This paper reviews the development of the soft robots in recent years, focusing on the potential challenges in the materials, the driving methods, and the fields of applications. With consideration of China's national condition, this paper discusses the future prospect of the soft robots.

soft-bodied robots  /  drive mode  /  intelligent material  /  medical rehabilitation