Multimodal Locomotion of Soft Robots

Abstract

Inspired by organisms that utilize multimodal locomotion strategies to adapt to diverse environments, the development of analogous capabilities in soft robots has garnered growing attention. This review comprehensively surveys recent advances in multimodal locomotion within soft robotics. Typical locomotion modes are summarized and categorized. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms enabling multimodal locomotion, encompassing both the integration of distinct locomotion modes and transitions between them, are discussed in detail and classified into three primary categories: active control‐based, reconfiguration‐based, and environment‐responsive strategies. Leveraging these mechanisms, soft robots demonstrate enhanced adaptability for applications such as cross‐domain transition, surface adaptation, and obstacle negotiation. Finally, key challenges in advancing the capabilities of multimodal locomotion to address real‐world applications are discussed.