From shallow waters to Mariana Trench: A survey of bio-inspired underwater soft robots.

2026-01-18

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

AI Summary

This study addresses the limitations of conventional underwater robots, which suffer from performance degradation under extreme deep-sea pressures and often cause acoustic and physical disturbances to marine ecosystems. It presents a systematic review of bioinspired soft underwater robots, offering the first comprehensive synthesis of their development across operational depths—from shallow waters to the hadal zone. By integrating principles from biomimetics, soft robotics, materials science, and ocean engineering, the work emphasizes advancements in compliant actuation, environmentally adaptive structures, and low-disturbance interaction mechanisms. These innovations collectively enhance pressure resilience, hydrodynamic efficiency, sensory capabilities, and ecological compatibility. The paper further proposes an interdisciplinary roadmap to guide the design of next-generation deep-sea exploration platforms that harmonize technological performance with environmental stewardship.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Other Foundations and Applications
• Machine Learning: Bio-inspired Learning
• Humans and AI: Planning and Decision Support for Human-Machine Teams

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Vertical and domain-specific search
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

Sample Exploring the ocean environment holds profound significance in areas such as resource exploration and ecological protection. Underwater robots struggle with extreme water pressure and often cause noise and damage to the underwater ecosystem, whilebio-inspired soft robots draw inspiration from aquatic creatures to address these challenges. These bio-inspired approaches enable robots to withstand high water pressure, minimize drag, operate with efficient manipulation and sensing systems, and interact with the environment in an eco-friendly manner. Consequently, bio-inspired soft robots have emerged as a promising field for ocean exploration. This paper reviews recent advancements in underwater bio-inspired soft robots, analyses their design considerations when facing different desired functions, bio-inspirations, ambient pressure, temperature, light, and biodiversity , and finally explores the progression from bio-inspired principles to practical applications in the field and suggests potential directions for developing the next generation of underwater soft robots.

Problem

• underwater robots
• extreme water pressure
• ecosystem damage
• bio-inspired soft robots
• ocean exploration

Innovation

• bio-inspired
• soft robots
• underwater robotics
• extreme environment
• eco-friendly interaction