Most socially expressive robots use traditional rigid motor chains, linking rotational or linear degrees of freedom. At the same time, a host of new actuation techniques are being developed in the areas of soft robotics and actuation through deformation, including shape-memory alloys, pneumatics, and 4D printed structures. How can these techniques be used in the context of socially expressive and personal robotics, and what new interaction paradigms could be developed using these new actuators?
