The field of robotics is moving towards the development of more robust and compliant systems, capable of operating in complex and unstructured environments. Researchers are focusing on designing robots that can adapt to changing conditions and uncertainties, ensuring safe and reliable operation. This is being achieved through the development of innovative materials, mechanisms, and control strategies. Notably, the integration of robust and reliable design considerations is becoming increasingly important, allowing for the optimization of system performance under uncertainty. Additionally, the use of simulation-based design tools is enabling the optimization of compliant mechanisms, such as soft robotic fingers, for improved task performance and robustness.

Some noteworthy papers in this area include: The paper on a Hybrid Hinge-Beam Continuum Robot, which proposes a novel design for fatigue-aware continuum robots, reducing fatigue accumulation by about 49% compared to conventional designs. The paper on simulation-based optimization of compliant fingers, which develops a design tool for optimizing finger stiffness and geometry for improved task performance and robustness, demonstrating a 2.29-fold increase in tolerable ranges for insertion tasks. The paper on Parallel Simulation of Contact and Actuation for Soft Growing Robots, which presents a unified modeling framework for simulating the growth, bending, and actuation of soft growing robots, enabling design optimization tasks for navigating complex environments.