Flexible Protection for Soft Robots: Fish-Inspired Scales that Make Underwater Machines Tougher and Smarter
6 pages · PDF · 11 November 2025 · Licensed single-user copy, watermarked to the buyer
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What this report covers
Technologies: Autonomous Systems, Robotics & Swarms. A sourced, structured 6-page analysis for European defence and dual-use decision-makers, from the DFM research desk and built on official and primary sources.
About this report
A research team from Shanghai University has developed a new protective system for underwater soft robots, inspired by the natural design of fish skin and scales. This innovation, published in npj Robotics in October 2025, mimics how fish combine flexible tissues with rigid scales to protect against external damage while maintaining fluid motion.
The system, known as a bio-inspired rigid-flexible coupled skin-scales system (BIS), embeds thin polypropylene scales into a silicone substrate, creating a hybrid surface that resists puncture and compression while staying highly flexible.
Key questions this report answers
- How does the bio-inspired rigid-flexible coupled skin-scales system embed polypropylene scales into a silicone substrate to protect underwater soft robots?
- How does the design mimic fish skin's combination of flexible tissue and rigid scales to resist puncture and compression while staying flexible?
- What did the Shanghai University team publish in npj Robotics in October 2025 regarding underwater soft-robot protection?
- What defence and subsea applications could benefit from tougher, more damage-resistant soft robots?
Who it's for
Strategy, corporate-development and investment teams that need an ecosystem-level view — budgets, industrial capacity and technology landscapes — before committing capital or capacity.
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DFM reports are built from primary and official sources — TED procurement notices, CORDIS and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, EIB operations, the NATO Innovation Fund portfolio, SIPRI data, official budget documents and company disclosures — read together with the underlying legal texts. Sources are cited in the document; it reflects them as of its publication date (11 November 2025). You receive a 6-page PDF, watermarked to you on every page, delivered on the confirmation page and by e-mail immediately after checkout (personal link valid 72 hours, up to 5 downloads). Guest checkout, single-user licence — Terms of Sale.
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