A Comprehensive Review on Actuation Strategies in Soft Robotic Grippers: Pneumatic and Dielectric Elastomer Approaches

This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent advancements in soft robotic grippers, with a specific focus on their actuation mechanisms, design strategies, and performance evaluation. Unlike traditional rigid robots, soft grippers offer unparalleled flexibility and safety, making them highly suitable for handling delicate objects and interacting closely with humans. This review examines three critical areas of current research: the parametric study of soft pneumatic actuators using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the development of multi-stacked Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) utilizing backbone strategies, and the integrated design and control of multifunctional soft grippers. By analyzing these diverse approaches, this paper highlights the transition from complex pneumatic networks to advanced electroactive polymers, discussing the respective advantages in force generation, stiffness control, and structural adaptability. The findings suggest that hybridizing these actuation techniques and leveraging computational modeling are key to developing the next generation of highly adaptive robotic grasping systems.