Classification and Evaluation of Octopus-Inspired Suction Cups for Soft Continuum Robots.

The emergence of the field of soft robotics has led to an interest in suction cups as auxiliary structures on soft continuum arms to support the execution of manipulation tasks. This application poses demanding requirements on suction cups with respect to sensorization, adhesion under non-ideal contact conditions, and integration into fully soft systems. The octopus can serve as an important source of inspiration for addressing these challenges.

Fracture Behavior of Bio-Inspired Functionally Graded Soft-Hard Composites Made by Multi-Material 3D Printing: The Case of Colinear Cracks.

The functional gradient is a concept often occurring in nature. This concept can be implemented in the design and fabrication of advanced materials with specific functionalities and properties. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) can effectively eliminate the interface problems in extremely hard-soft connections, and, thus, have numerous and diverse applications in high-tech industries, such as those in biomedical and aerospace fields.