Soft robots have many applications but they are not sustainable. They get damaged over time and have a limited lifetime. They are mainly made with fossil-based chemicals and materials that don’t have a great recyclability rate. As this video from Aleix Costa and his team shows, it is possible to make self-healing, recyclable caster oil based elastomers for more sustainable soft robots.
The pneumatic gripper developed with this approach is capable of healing autonomously. It is fully degradable. You can find out more here.