Flexible Electronics for Compact-Volume Assistive Robots

Flexible electronic circuits allow bending, twisting, and can be moulded into different shapes without significantly compromising their functioning. These unique features of flexible electronics make them a potential choice for assistive soft robotics since robots frequently need to operate in constrained places and interact with their surroundings. Other benefits of using flexible electronics in robotics include the ability to create lightweight and compact robotic systems. Traditional robotic systems are often bulky and rigid in nature, making them difficult to manoeuvre in tight spaces. With flexible electronics, it is possible to design robots that can bend and stretch to fit into narrow gaps and complex shapes, allowing them to access hard-to-reach areas. Moreover, flexible electronics can be integrated into the body of the robot, reducing the need for additional components and improving the overall efficiency of the system. Since the emergence of soft robotics, research in areas such as universal jamming grippers, multi-gait soft robots, worm robots, octopus robots, and fully integrated soft octobots has greatly broadened the horizons of robotic innovation. This progress has stretched the limits of conventional rigid frameworks with respect to electronics, which can be addressed through flexible counterparts. The most important circuit blocks required to drive soft assistive robots have been discussed in this chapter.