Soft Robots (Stretchy, Bendy, and Squishy Machines and How They Work)

Meet robots unlike any you’ve imagined—gentle enough to cradle a strawberry, tough enough to walk through fire, and smart enough to rescue stranded explorers or even save lives in surgery. In Soft Robots, Dr. Jessica Sandoval introduces a new generation of curious machines—robots inspired by octopuses, jellyfish, geckos, and even edible candies. These bots slink into tight caves, wiggle through your intestines, strut down futuristic runways, and leap across Martian craters, breaking every mold of what robots can be.

Chock-full of jaw-dropping science, real-life engineering feats, and playful illustrations, this book looks at how these robots work in fun and engaging writing and diagrams. You’ll get to see how soft robots grab, crawl, swim, and fly their way out of every tight spot—no metal skeletons needed! Curious about how robots could help farmers pick the perfect berry, astronauts clean up space junk, or doctors print new tissues inside the human body? Get ready—you’ll meet them all.

For budding inventors, scientists, and tinkerers who thrive on creative chaos, Soft Robots is a backstage pass to pioneering robotics.