Existing robots are hard and have limited flexibility. But what are soft and flexible as robots, like the grippers pioneers at TU Delft are developing. This flexibility makes all kinds of new applications possible. A Dutch pioneer is Rob Scharff, PhD student at Delft University of Technology. If you build soft, flexible robots, all kinds of new applications are within reach.
Daniela Rus, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the American research institute MIT. Soft robots broaden our view of what a robot is. Much more diversity is possible. Not only in terms of shapes, but also in terms of materials.