When you think of a robot, what comes to mind? A big metal arm in a car factory? A shiny android like C3PO from “Star Wars”? What about a robot that’s soft, floppy and looks a little more like the hot dog fingers from “Everything Everywhere, All at Once”? Soft robots are engineered for more delicate tasks that used to require a human touch – like handling food or conducting tests inside our bodies. But for now, they’re isolated to specific fields, like manufacturing and medicine, and haven’t really made their way into the daily lives of most people. WSJ’s Alex Ossola looks into what it will take to bring soft robots out of the factory and hospital and into our homes. 

Further reading: 

Robots Are Learning to Handle With Care  

Robots Are Looking to Bring a Human Touch to Warehouses 

What Picking Up an Apple Tells You About the Future of Robotics  

First Autonomous, Entirely Soft Robot Developed 

Amid the Labor Shortage, Robots Step in to Make the French Fries 

The Quest for a Robot With a Sense of Touch 

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