ReviewFrontiers in robotics and AI2021
3D Printing Hydrogel-Based Soft and Biohybrid Actuators: A Mini-Review on Fabrication Techniques, Applications, and Challenges.
Review in Frontiers in robotics and AI, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- 3D printable tough hydrogel actuators.Materials horizons · 2026Review
- Design and Application of Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels for 4D Printing: A Review of Adaptive Materials in Engineering.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Programmable Hydrogels: Frontiers in Dynamic Closed-Loop Systems, Biomimetic Synergy, and Clinical Translation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Optimization and control of actuator networks in variable geometry truss systems using genetic algorithms.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Machine Learning in Gel-Based Additive Manufacturing: From Material Design to Process Optimization.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Advancements in hydrogel design for articular cartilage regeneration: A comprehensive review.Bioactive materials · 2025Review
- 3D-Printed Hydrogels as Photothermal Actuators.Polymers · 2024Article
- Review: Application of 3D Printing Technology in Soft Robots.3D printing and additive manufacturing · 2024Review
- Recent Progress in Hyaluronic-Acid-Based Hydrogels for Bone Tissue Engineering.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- 3D Printing of Hybrid-Hydrogel Materials for Tissue Engineering: a Critical Review.Regenerative engineering and translational medicine · 2023Article
- What is the need and why is it time for innovative models for understanding lung repair and regeneration?Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
- Continuous fiber extruder for desktop 3D printers toward long fiber embedded hydrogel 3D printing.HardwareX · 2022Article
- Highly Flexible and Broad-Range Mechanically Tunable All-Wood Hydrogels with Nanoscale Channels via the Hofmeister Effect for Human Motion Monitoring.Nano-micro letters · 2022Article
- Smart 3D Printed Hydrogel Skin Wound Bandages: A Review.Polymers · 2022Review
- Long-Fiber Embedded Hydrogel 3D Printing for Structural Reinforcement.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are candidate building blocks for soft robotic applications due to many of their unique properties, including tunable mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Over the past decade, there has been significant progress in developing soft and biohybrid actuators using naturally occurring and synthetic hydrogels to address the increasing demands for machines capable of interacting with fragile biological systems. Recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, either as a standalone manufacturing process or integrated with traditional fabrication techniques, have enabled the development of hydrogel-based actuators with on-demand geometry and actuation modalities. This mini-review surveys existing research efforts to inspire the development of novel fabrication techniques using hydrogel building blocks and identify potential future directions. In this article, existing 3D fabrication techniques for hydrogel actuators are first examined. Next, existing actuation mechanisms, including pneumatic, hydraulic, ionic, dehydration-rehydration, and cell-powered actuation, are reviewed with their benefits and limitations discussed. Subsequently, the applications of hydrogel-based actuators, including compliant handling of fragile items, micro-swimmers, wearable devices, and origami structures, are described. Finally, challenges in fabricating functional actuators using existing techniques are discussed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.