Recent Advances in Sensor–Actuator Hybrid Soft Systems: Core Advantages, Intelligent Applications, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

The growing demand for soft intelligent systems, which have the potential to be used in a variety of fields such as wearable technology and human-robot interaction systems, has spurred the development of advanced soft transducers. Among soft systems, sensor-actuator hybrid systems are considered the most promising due to their effective and efficient performance, resulting from the synergistic and complementary interaction between their sensor and actuator components. Recent research on integrated sensor and actuator systems has resulted in a range of conceptual and practical soft systems. This review article provides a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in sensor and actuator integrated systems, which are grouped into three categories based on their primary functions: i) actuator-assisted sensors for intelligent detection, ii) sensor-assisted actuators for intelligent movement, and iii) sensor-actuator interactive devices for a hybrid of intelligent detection and movement. In addition, several bottlenecks in current studies are discussed, and prospective outlooks, including potential applications, are presented. This categorization and analysis will pave the way for the advancement and commercialization of sensor and actuator-integrated systems.