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Open research questions in Soft Robotics and Applications

117 gap statements mined from Soft Robotics and Applications papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 859 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • One major challenge was the complex wiring and the programming required for the buttons and control system on the Arduino. Soldering connections was also tedious, and the wires often became a tangled mess, which increased my risk of connecting the wrong wire and resulting in a short circuit. Another significant hurdle was the silicone injection molding process.

    An Elephant Trunk-Inspired Modular Variable Stiffness Soft Robot · 2026 · DOI

  • The biomechanics of the impaling hunting strategy of the moss mantis were not well understood. The study aimed to fill this gap by elucidating the novel predatory mechanism in mantises.

    A striking difference: biomechanics of the impaling hunting strategy of a moss mantis · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of reliable real-time tissue discrimination capabilities in spinal surgical robots. The limitations of conventional single-modality sensing approaches. The need for improved accuracy in tissue discrimination and anatomical structure segmentation.

    AI-driven tissue discrimination sensing methods for robot-assisted spine surgery: a state-of-the-art review · 2026 · DOI

  • Fluidic soft actuators have shortcomings of portability and autonomy. Previous soft pumps have limitations in terms of performance and power consumption.

    A flexible liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic pump for soft robotic systems · 2026 · DOI

  • The proposed approach is validated through numerical simulations and water-tank experiments, but not in real-world scenarios. The control strategy is designed for a specific type of underwater robot, and its applicability to other types of robots is unknown.

    Modeling and priority-based control of a bio-inspired hybrid actuation underwater robot with soft universal joint framework · 2026 · DOI

  • The constant motion of the center of mass in serial and parallel manipulators is a drawback. Existing manipulator designs do not address this issue effectively. There is a need for a force balanced manipulator design that reduces reaction forces and moments.

    Forbal: Force Balanced 2–5 Degree of Freedom Robot Manipulator Built from a Five-Bar Linkage · 2026 · DOI

  • The existing Cosserat rod models have limitations in terms of sensing, fabrication, environmental interaction, and numerical reliability. There is a need for a formulation that can address these challenges and provide a robust and efficient modeling framework for soft robots.

    A robust strain-based Cosserat rod finite element formulation for modeling soft robots · 2026 · DOI

  • Current research on variable stiffness in continuum robots is fragmented. There is a lack of a systematic review and unified framework integrating structure, modeling, and control. The interrelationships among stiffness principles, modeling, and control strategies are not well understood.

    A Review of Variable Stiffness in Continuum Robots: Mechanisms, Modeling and Control · 2026 · DOI

  • Traditional robotic manipulators lack adaptability for dynamic and irregular conditions. There is a need for bio-inspired robotic systems that can mimic the structure and motion of natural organisms.

    Integrated Design Approach For Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing Of High-Strength Biocompatible Prosthetics · 2026 · DOI

  • The total weight of the robot must not exceed 10 kg. The robot's design is limited to pipe diameters ranging from 290 mm to 310 mm.

    Design and motion performance study of a dual-mode pipeline robot with active diameter adjustment · 2026 · DOI

  • The evaluation is performed in simulation and hardware experiments on Earth. The paper does not address the potential limitations of the DexCoHand gripper in microgravity.

    A Dexterous and Compliant Gripper With Soft Hydraulic Actuation for Microgravity Manipulation · 2026

  • Future work includes extending the methodology to multisection continuum robots, incorporating adaptive system identification for dynamic environments, and exploring the integration of learned models into feedback control strategies beyond MPC. Alternative modeling approaches such as deep neural networks could also be investigated.

    Data-Driven Dynamic Modeling of a Tendon-Actuated Continuum Robot · 2026

  • The lack of tools that discover and design suitable embodiments for soft robotics. The limited exploration of potential embodiments and inaccurate behavioural assessment in the current literature.

    High-throughput soft robot design via an adaptive experimental platform · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper also identifies the need to minimize noise emitted by the actuation system.

    A Motor–Syringe Air Drive Pneumatic Actuator for a Soft Robotics Hand · 2026 · DOI

  • Future piezoelectric microrobots will develop toward full-flexible structure and multi-modal cross-medium motion. They will develop toward wireless autonomous control and self-powered energy harvesting. They will develop toward high-performance new piezoelectric materials and biomedical diagnosis and treatment integration.

    Research Progress and Prospect of Piezoelectric-Driven Microrobots · 2026 · DOI

  • Current piezoelectric-driven microrobots have limitations such as short endurance and insufficient load capacity. There is a need for the development of full-flexible structure and multi-modal cross-medium motion. There is a need for the development of high-performance new piezoelectric materials.

    Research Progress and Prospect of Piezoelectric-Driven Microrobots · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited dexterity and maneuverability of traditional robotic platforms. Non-uniform curvature and large-deformation conditions of soft joints.

    Modeling and priority-based control of a bio-inspired hybrid actuation underwater robot with soft universal joint framework · 2026 · DOI

  • Extending the formulation to include other types of loading conditions and environmental interactions.

    A robust strain-based Cosserat rod finite element formulation for modeling soft robots · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited mobility and obstacle-crossing capability in small- and medium-diameter pipeline inspection robots.

    Design and motion performance study of a dual-mode pipeline robot with active diameter adjustment · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited exploration of potential embodiments and inaccurate behavioural assessment.

    High-throughput soft robot design via an adaptive experimental platform · 2026 · DOI

  • Further development of AI-driven tissue discrimination sensing methods for robot-assisted spine surgery. Investigation of the clinical value of AI-enabled multimodal fusion in spinal surgery.

    AI-driven tissue discrimination sensing methods for robot-assisted spine surgery: a state-of-the-art review · 2026 · DOI

  • Future directions for high-performance intelligent control - The actuation–stiffness–control paradigm - Open research opportunities for intelligent continuum…

    A Review of Variable Stiffness in Continuum Robots: Mechanisms, Modeling and Control · 2026 · DOI

  • Intelligent control and real-time implementation of the bio-inspired robotic arm. Field deployment of the robotic arm for search and rescue operations. Development of more advanced robotic systems with higher degrees of freedom and improved maneuverability.

    Integrated Design Approach For Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing Of High-Strength Biocompatible Prosthetics · 2026 · DOI

  • The application of the DexCoHand gripper to other free-flyers. The development of more advanced manipulation architectures for microgravity.

    A Dexterous and Compliant Gripper With Soft Hydraulic Actuation for Microgravity Manipulation · 2026

  • Investigating the scalability of the system, - Comparing the performance of the MSAD system with other actuation systems, - Conducting experiments with multiple soft robotic fingers, - Developing a more advanced control system to optimize the performance of the MSAD…

    A Motor–Syringe Air Drive Pneumatic Actuator for a Soft Robotics Hand · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Soft Robotics and Applications

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The biomechanics of the impaling hunting strategy of the moss mantis were not well understood (“A striking difference: biomechanics of the impaling hunting strategy of a moss…”, 2026); (2) The lack of reliable real-time tissue discrimination capabilities in spinal surgical robots (“AI-driven tissue discrimination sensing methods for robot-assisted spine…”, 2026); (3) The control strategy is designed for a specific type of underwater robot, and its applicability to other types of robots is unknown (“Modeling and priority-based control of a bio-inspired hybrid actuation…”, 2026); (4) There is a need for a force balanced manipulator design that reduces reaction forces and moments (“Forbal: Force Balanced 2–5 Degree of Freedom Robot Manipulator Built from a…”, 2026); (5) There is a need for a formulation that can address these challenges and provide a robust and efficient modeling framework for soft robots (“A robust strain-based Cosserat rod finite element formulation for modeling soft…”, 2026). 117 gap statements have been mined from Soft Robotics and Applications papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 859 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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