The signal: When most people hear the word robot, they probably conjure up an image of Wall-E, Disney’s “last robot on earth,” a rigid, metal beast. But the future of robots might look more like Baymax, Disney’s marshmallow-like “soft” robot.

In recent years, soft robotics have started to attract far more attention. These robots draw inspiration from nature, are made of malleable materials, and have a wider range of applications (including drug delivery, prosthetics, space exploration, and more), since they’re not limited by their rigidity. While the industry for soft robots has existed for some time now, they started popping up more frequently in earnings calls last year.

Source: CBInsights