Soft Robotics Global Market Report 2026

Soft robotics is a specialized field within robotics that focuses on the design and fabrication of robots constructed from pliable, flexible materials and structures, with the aim of mimicking the natural movements and functionalities observed in living organisms. This technology finds applications in various domains, including surgery, prosthetics, pain management, and space exploration.

The primary types of soft robotics include soft grippers, cobots (collaborative robots), inflated robots, and exoskeletons. Soft grippers are robotic end-effectors that replicate the dexterity and flexibility of human hands, utilizing flexible and compliant materials such as elastomers or soft plastics. These soft robotic systems consist of various components, including hardware and software, and cater to diverse end-users, including healthcare, advanced manufacturing, food and beverages, logistics, and others.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs have impacted the soft robotics market by increasing costs of imported smart materials, sensors, actuators, and embedded electronics used in soft robotic systems. Hardware intensive segments such as soft grippers, exoskeletons, and pneumatic robots are most affected, particularly in asia pacific and north america due to globalized component supply chains. Higher system costs have slowed adoption in cost sensitive healthcare and manufacturing applications. At the same time, tariffs are encouraging localized material sourcing, domestic prototyping, and investment in regional soft robotics manufacturing ecosystems.

The soft robotics market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides soft robotics market statistics, including soft robotics industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a soft robotics market share, detailed soft robotics market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the soft robotics industry. This soft robotics market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The soft robotics market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $2.26 billion in 2025 to $2.82 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to advancements in material science, early medical robotics adoption, growth in collaborative robotics research, increasing need for delicate object handling, expansion of academic robotics programs.

The soft robotics market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $7.22 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growth in minimally invasive surgeries, rising demand for rehabilitation robotics, expansion of automation in food handling, increased investment in human centric robotics, adoption of soft robotics in space exploration. Major trends in the forecast period include rising adoption of soft grippers in delicate handling, growing use of soft robots in surgical applications, increased development of bio inspired materials, higher focus on human safe robot interaction, expansion of wearable soft exoskeletons.

Government initiatives supporting robotics, including soft robotics, are expected to contribute to the growth of the soft robotics market. Government initiatives involve support provided by federal, state, or local authorities to organizations, industries, or projects to foster innovation and development. Many governments are launching programs to advance robotic integration across key sectors. For example, in July 2024, High Value Manufacturing Catapult, a UK-based organization, reported that in November 2023 the government announced the Advanced Manufacturing Plan, which allocates £4.5 billion ($5.86 billion) over five years beginning in 2025 to strengthen industries such as automotive. Such initiatives that promote robotics development, including soft robotics, are driving growth in the soft robotics market.

Major companies operating in the soft robotics market are prioritizing technological innovations such as AI-enabled soft gripper systems that feature adaptive materials to meet growing demand for flexible, damage-free automation in industries including food processing, packaging, electronics assembly, and human-robot collaboration. Soft grippers, made from elastomers or silicone and actuated pneumatically or electrically, can conform to the shape of objects, offering advantages over rigid metal grippers that require precise alignment and may cause damage to delicate or irregular items. For instance, in March 2023, Soft Robotics Inc., a US-based industrial automation company, launched mGripAI 2.0, a next-generation gripper platform that integrates soft grippers with 3D machine vision and deep-learning capabilities. The solution enables high-speed handling of mixed and delicate food items, improving sorting throughput by approximately 28%. Its compliant soft-finger technology reduces product damage, while AI-driven vision allows automated adaptation without manual reprogramming for each product type. This innovation reflects a broader market trend toward intelligent, adaptive gripping solutions capable of addressing hygiene, variability, and throughput demands across multiple industries.

In August 2024, Schmalz Group, a Germany-based automation technology company, acquired the soft-gripping product assets of Soft Robotics Inc. for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition aims to expand Schmalz's automation and gripper portfolio by incorporating advanced soft-finger gripping technologies, strengthening its presence in the growing food-handling and industrial automation markets. Soft Robotics Inc. was a US-based provider specializing in high-speed automated picking solutions using soft robotic grippers, 3D machine vision, and AI-driven automation systems.

Major companies operating in the soft robotics market are Festo Group, Ottobock SE & Co KGaA, SRI International Inc., SoftWear Automation Inc., Disney Research, Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc., Innophys Co. Ltd., Shadow Robot Company Limited, ReWalk Robotics Inc., Artimus Robotics Inc., Octopus Robotics Incorporated, Schunk GmbH, Roam Robotics Inc., RightHand Robotics Inc., Soft Robotics Inc., Tactile Robotics Ltd., Bristol Robotics Laboratory Limited, New Scale Robotics Inc., Asea Brown Boveri Ltd., Fanuc Corporation, Yaskawa Electric Corporation

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the soft robotics market in 2025. Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the soft robotics market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa

The countries covered in the soft robotics market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The soft robotics market consists of sales of robotic muscles, prosthetic robots, and wearable robotics. Values in this market are 'factory gate' values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

Soft Robotics Market Global Report 2026 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.

This report focuses soft robotics market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.

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Where is the largest and fastest growing market for soft robotics ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The soft robotics market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.

The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, total addressable market (TAM), market attractiveness score (MAS), competitive landscape, market shares, company scoring matrix, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.

• The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market. This section also examines key products and services offered in the market, evaluates brand-level differentiation, compares product features, and highlights major innovation and product development trends.
• The supply chain analysis section provides an overview of the entire value chain, including key raw materials, resources, and supplier analysis. It also provides a list competitor at each level of the supply chain.
• The updated trends and strategies section analyses the shape of the market as it evolves and highlights emerging technology trends such as digital transformation, automation, sustainability initiatives, and AI-driven innovation. It suggests how companies can leverage these advancements to strengthen their market position and achieve competitive differentiation.
• The regulatory and investment landscape section provides an overview of the key regulatory frameworks, regularity bodies, associations, and government policies influencing the market. It also examines major investment flows, incentives, and funding trends shaping industry growth and innovation.
• The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market, and forecasting its development.
• The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include the technological advancements such as AI and automation, Russia-Ukraine war, trade tariffs (government-imposed import/export duties), elevated inflation and interest rates.
• The total addressable market (TAM) analysis section defines and estimates the market potential compares it with the current market size, and provides strategic insights and growth opportunities based on this evaluation.
• The market attractiveness scoring section evaluates the market based on a quantitative scoring framework that considers growth potential, competitive dynamics, strategic fit, and risk profile. It also provides interpretive insights and strategic implications for decision-makers.
• Market segmentations break down the market into sub markets.
• The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth.
• Expanded geographical coverage includes Taiwan and Southeast Asia, reflecting recent supply chain realignments and manufacturing shifts in the region. This section analyzes how these markets are becoming increasingly important hubs in the global value chain.
• The competitive landscape chapter gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified.
• The company scoring matrix section evaluates and ranks leading companies based on a multi-parameter framework that includes market share or revenues, product innovation, and brand recognition.

Scope

• Markets Covered:1) By Type: Soft Grippers; Cobots; Inflated Robots; Exoskeleton
• 2) By Component: Hardware; Software
• 3) By End User: Healthcare; Advanced Manufacturing; Food And Beverages; Logistics; Other End Users
• Subsegments:
• 1) By Soft Grippers: Adaptive Grippers; Suction-Based Grippers
• 2) By Cobots: Lightweight Cobots; Flexible Cobots
• 3) By Inflated Robots: Soft Inflatable Structures; Pneumatic Robots
• 4) By Exoskeletons: Wearable Exoskeletons; Robotic Exoskeletons For Rehabilitation
• Companies Mentioned: Festo Group; Ottobock SE & Co KGaA; SRI International Inc.; SoftWear Automation Inc.; Disney Research; Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc.; Innophys Co. Ltd.; Shadow Robot Company Limited; ReWalk Robotics Inc.; Artimus Robotics Inc.; Octopus Robotics Incorporated; Schunk GmbH; Roam Robotics Inc.; RightHand Robotics Inc.; Soft Robotics Inc.; Tactile Robotics Ltd.; Bristol Robotics Laboratory Limited; New Scale Robotics Inc.; Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.; Fanuc Corporation; Yaskawa Electric Corporation
• Countries: Australia; Brazil; China; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Japan; Taiwan; Russia; South Korea; UK; USA; Canada; Italy; Spain.
• Regions: Asia-Pacific; South East Asia; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; North America; South America; Middle East; Africa
• Time Series: Five years historic and ten years forecast.
• Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets, GDP proportions, expenditure per capita,
• Data Segmentations: country and regional historic and forecast data, market share of competitors, market segments.
• Sourcing and Referencing: Data and analysis throughout the report is sourced using end notes.
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