Soft Robotics for Industrial Applications Market Size & Share 2026-2035

Soft Robotics for Industrial Applications Market Size

The global soft robotics for industrial applications market was valued at USD 2.02 billion in 2025 and is projected to increase from USD 2.15 billion in 2026 to USD 33.3 billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 35.5%.

Demand centers on automation tasks where conventional rigid tooling creates costly handling constraints: deformable food products, irregularly shaped consumer goods, delicate electronics, and variable packaging formats. Flexible end effectors and compliant actuation address the handling interface rather than simply adding another robotic arm, allowing industrial cells to accommodate product variation without transferring damaging contact forces to the workpiece.

The acquisition of Soft Robotics Inc.'s mGrip product family by Schmalz in August 2024 sharpened this distinction. Schmalz acquired the soft finger-gripper configurations, related patents, and know-how, while Soft Robotics Inc. repositioned itself as Oxipital AI, concentrating on machine vision for robotic picking and inspection. The transaction linked an established vacuum-automation supplier with a soft-gripping portfolio while separating the vision-and-decision layer from the gripper hardware. That division is commercially consequential because a food or consumer-goods automation project increasingly requires both reliable handling hardware and vision capable of identifying variable products before a pick is attempted. ^{[1]Schmalz, Portfolio expanded: Schmalz takes over finger gripper from Soft Robotics Inc., schmalz.com}

Industrial adoption is also moving toward integrated cells rather than stand-alone components. On June 2, 2025, Schmalz and Oxipital AI extended their partnership to combine Oxipital AI's vision-guided inspection and robotic-picking capabilities with Schmalz mGrip finger grippers and vacuum tooling for food, beverage, and industrial picking applications. The pairing addresses a recurring deployment problem: compliant tooling is valuable only when the robot can identify orientation, quality, and picking location quickly enough for the production line. Suppliers that can reduce this coordination burden can compete on throughput stability and integration risk, rather than on gripper compliance alone. ^{[2]PR Newswire, Oxipital AI and Schmalz Extend Partnership to Deliver Advanced Automated Solutions, prnewswire.com}

The addressable opportunity is reinforced by labor availability and the economics of domestic manufacturing capacity. Teradyne's plan to open a 67,000-square-foot U.S. Operations Hub in Wixom, Michigan, in 2026, with more than 200 jobs and manufacturing for Universal Robots cobots, provides a concrete indicator of equipment suppliers positioning closer to North American automation demand. For manufacturers reshoring or expanding regional capacity, soft robotic tooling can help automate tasks that remain difficult to standardize with rigid fingers or fixtures, especially where product changes would otherwise require frequent mechanical changeovers.

The technology stack is becoming more software-dependent as factories connect machine data with operational workflows. IT/OT convergence enables real-time data collection, digital-twin synchronization, and predictive-maintenance processes across factory environments. In soft robotics, that connection is particularly important because pressure, deformation, vision, motion, and payload conditions must be coordinated to deliver repeatable handling. The result is a market in which value accrues not only to elastomers, actuators, and sensors, but also to the controls and integration layers that turn compliant hardware into a dependable production asset.

The 35.5% forecast reflects a measured industrial-automation transition rather than a wholesale replacement of rigid robots. Soft systems are most compelling where variability creates an expensive fixture, reprogramming, or scrap problem. Controls, vision, and systems integration therefore determine how widely soft robotics moves beyond pilot cells. Suppliers that turn these technologies into repeatable deployment templates can widen adoption among manufacturers that lack the engineering resources to customize every robotic cell.

Key Drivers

Labor shortages and reshoring are increasing the value of automation that can be introduced without redesigning an entire production line. A rigid automation cell often requires tightly controlled part presentation and dedicated fixtures; soft grippers can reduce those mechanical dependencies when products vary in shape, orientation, or surface condition. This makes compliant tooling relevant to manufacturers bringing production closer to end markets, where labor availability and product-mix flexibility can be as important as nominal cycle time. Teradyne's planned Michigan operations hub, which will manufacture Universal Robots cobots for the North American market, reflects supplier investment in this localized automation environment. ^{[3]Business Wire, Teradyne Will Expand Its Global Robotics Presence with New U.S. Operations Hub in Metro Detroit, Michigan, businesswire.com}

Generative AI and language-model integration can lower the programming burden only when it is tied to validated robot controls and operating limits. KUKA demonstrated iiQWorks Copilot at Automatica from June 24 to 27, 2025, describing a Microsoft-developed natural-language robot-programming assistant that can reduce programming time by up to 80%. The relevance for soft robotics lies in deployment economics: programming support can accelerate the setup of robot cells that use compliant tools, but it does not remove the need to validate payload behavior, motion, sanitation, and safety conditions. The near-term advantage is therefore likely to be fastest in applications with repeatable task libraries rather than in entirely novel handling processes. ^{[4]KUKA, KUKA Highlights Automatica 2025, kuka.com}

IT/OT convergence supplies the operating foundation for adaptive handling. Connecting production data with robotic controls allows manufacturers to monitor cell performance, coordinate maintenance signals, and improve process visibility. For soft robotic systems, the integration challenge is more demanding than for simple pick-and-place automation because the acceptable grip condition depends on deformation, contact pressure, product geometry, and downstream quality requirements. Control architectures that make these variables observable can help operators identify whether a throughput problem originates in vision, motion planning, tooling wear, or the product stream itself.

Robot-as-a-Service can broaden the customer base by changing the procurement model for compliant automation. Instead of committing to a large upfront cell investment, smaller manufacturers may be able to adopt equipment through recurring payments tied to a defined application. The model is most credible where suppliers can standardize the gripper, sensing, vision, and support package; otherwise, the supplier retains too much customization risk. General-purpose humanoid robots may expand future demand for compliant interfaces in human-designed environments, but their industrial contribution remains dependent on proven task reliability, safety validation, and a commercially viable service model.

Key Restraints

High integration complexity remains the principal brake on adoption. A soft gripper may solve the mechanical problem of safely holding an item, yet a production-ready system still requires compatible robot kinematics, vision, material flow, sensing, controls, safety procedures, and maintenance routines. This complexity is amplified in legacy plants, where machine data may be fragmented across equipment generations. The commercial consequence is a long qualification cycle and a greater reliance on systems integrators, which can delay deployment even where the underlying handling use case is compelling.

The distinction between a demonstration and an operating solution is especially relevant in food and electronics applications. In April 2022, Soft Robotics Inc., Quest Industrial, and Ossid announced an integrated primary-food-packaging solution using mGripAI for delicate and irregular food items. The historical example shows why application integration matters: a gripper alone does not create an automated packaging line. Following Schmalz's 2024 acquisition of the mGrip business, prospective customers must also evaluate how current hardware, vision, and service responsibilities fit together across the supplier ecosystem.

Data privacy and cybersecurity constrain increasingly connected robotic cells. The same IT/OT connections that enable condition monitoring and production optimization can expose operational data and create pathways into production systems if governance is weak. The issue is not limited to confidential data. A security incident that disrupts control availability or corrupts process parameters can create a direct uptime and product-quality risk. Buyers will therefore favor architectures that clarify data ownership, access rights, patching responsibilities, and separation between enterprise and operational networks.

Artificial intelligence can improve programming and operating responsiveness, but it raises the premium on disciplined controls and cybersecurity. Natural-language programming tools may reduce initial setup time, whereas connected cell architectures still require defined data boundaries and validated operational behavior. The commercial opportunity is therefore not simply "AI-enabled robotics"; it is a lower-risk route from a variable product stream to a stable, maintainable automated process.

Soft Robotics for Industrial Applications Market Segment Analysis

By Type

Soft grippers held a 35.6% share of the market in 2025. Their leadership reflects the immediate industrial need to handle fragile, irregular, or variable products without the compression damage or fixture precision associated with rigid tooling. Food packaging and electronics assembly are particularly relevant because a missed or damaged pick can affect line yield, not merely robot utilization. Schmalz's acquisition of the mGrip soft-finger-gripper family demonstrates how established material-handling suppliers are positioning compliant gripping as a portfolio capability rather than a specialized research product.

Inflatable robots differs from that of soft grippers: pneumatic structures can provide large-area compliance and low-contact-force interaction where conventional structures are unsuitable. Exoskeletons and wearables address worker-assistance and human-robot interaction cases, but their adoption depends more heavily on ergonomics, safety validation, and workflow acceptance. The "others" category retains relevance for specialized systems whose economics depend on a specific industrial task rather than broad platform standardization.

By Technology

Soft actuators represented 35.5% of market revenue in 2025, making the actuation layer the largest component category. Actuators define force transmission, motion range, response, and durability, so their performance directly influences whether a soft robotic system can meet cycle-time and handling requirements. Material selection, pneumatic design, and actuator reliability therefore remain central to both product differentiation and service economics.

Control systems faster growth indicates that the market is adding software, sensing, and adaptive-control value more quickly than it is expanding hardware volume alone. As soft robotic cells incorporate vision and production data, controls become the layer that translates a compliant physical interface into repeatable industrial behavior. IT/OT convergence reinforces this shift by connecting factory data, predictive-maintenance information, and control decisions across the cell. Soft sensors and power sources remain enabling categories, while their commercial importance is tied to how well they support reliable sensing, energy delivery, and maintenance intervals. ^{[5]Capgemini Research Institute, IT/OT & IIoT Convergence in the Intelligent Industry, capgemini.com}

By Material

Elastomers are fundamental to industrial soft robotics because they enable recoverable deformation while providing the surface compliance required for delicate contact. Their suitability, however, depends on more than flexibility. Food-contact conditions, cleaning regimes, temperature exposure, chemical resistance, and fatigue performance can determine whether a material is viable in a production application. This shifts competition from laboratory-level compliance toward documented lifecycle performance.

Gels and fabrics serve different mechanical and application requirements. Gels can support highly compliant sensing or contact interfaces, while fabrics can offer lightweight structural reinforcement and wearable form factors. Their adoption is likely to be concentrated in applications where those material properties solve a defined operational constraint. Materials suppliers that can match deformation behavior with sanitation, durability, and integration requirements will have a stronger position than those offering flexibility as an isolated product feature.

By End User

Smartphones and electronics assembly held a 35% share of the market in 2025. Electronics manufacturers value soft systems where non-marring contact, precise placement, and tolerance of changing component geometries can protect yield. The segment's scale also makes it a proving ground for controls and vision architectures that can manage high-throughput handling without compromising delicate surfaces or assemblies.

Connected home devices are the highest among end-user categories. Their growth reflects the expansion of product variants and component configurations that can complicate conventional automation. Tablets, desktop PCs, and laptops remain relevant demand centers where product design and volume patterns support automated delicate handling. Across these electronics categories, the purchasing decision is likely to depend on the full-cell economics of yield protection, changeover time, and integration support rather than on the gripper alone.

Electronics provides the highest-volume proof point, while food and beverage applications expose the practical importance of hygienic tooling, vision, and repeatable product handling. The combination creates a split competitive requirement: suppliers need durable, application-ready hardware and a control stack that can adapt to changing product conditions. Providers that specialize in only one layer may remain important, but they will increasingly need partnerships to deliver an accountable production outcome.

Soft Robotics for Industrial Applications Market Regional Analysis

North America

North America was the largest regional market in 2025, valued at USD 0.5 billion, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% through 2035. The U.S. represented approximately 85% of regional value and is forecast to expand at 7.4%. Its scale reflects the concentration of advanced manufacturing, logistics operations, food processing, and electronics-related automation demand. Reshoring increases the appeal of systems that can automate variable handling tasks without requiring every product change to be accommodated by new rigid fixtures.

Canada contributes a smaller but complementary industrial base, with opportunities concentrated in food processing, warehousing, and advanced manufacturing. Regional supplier investment adds operational weight to the North American market. Teradyne's planned 2026 Wixom hub will manufacture Universal Robots cobots and is intended to support U.S. automation demand. The expansion can improve proximity to customers and integrators, but the ultimate rate of soft-tooling adoption will still depend on local application engineering and workforce capability.

Europe

Europe is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% through 2035. Germany leads regional growth at 7.4%, supported by its industrial automation base and emphasis on engineering quality. The UK, France, Italy, and Spain provide distinct demand pools across food production, automotive supply chains, packaging, and high-value manufacturing. Their common requirement is not simply more automation, but automation that can manage short production runs and varied product formats.

European adoption is likely to favor systems that can demonstrate machine safety, reliability, and integration with existing factory equipment. KUKA's June 2025 demonstration of iiQWorks Copilot at Automatica indicates how European robotics providers are working to reduce programming friction through natural-language assistance. Such tools may strengthen the regional ecosystem for automation deployment, although compliant handling applications will continue to require task-specific validation.

Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing regional market, with a projected CAGR of 7.7% through 2035. China leads the region with an 8.2% CAGR, while India is forecast to grow at 7.8%. China's manufacturing scale and policy focus on industrial robotics provide a broad base for automation investment. The Made in China 2025 program identifies robotics as a priority sector and includes targets related to industrial robot production and domestic market share. This policy setting supports local capability development, although supplier selection will continue to be shaped by application performance and integration support. ^{[6]State Council of the People's Republic of China, Made in China 2025, cset.georgetown.edu}

Japan and South Korea contribute mature robotics ecosystems and high-value electronics production, while India expands the addressable base through industrialization and electronics manufacturing investment. Australia's opportunity is more selective, focused on advanced manufacturing and resource-related applications. In South Korea, Hyundai Motor Group's December 2022 PnD robot pilots at the Rolling Hills Hotel in Hwaseong and at a residential-commercial complex with Woowa Brothers illustrate regional experimentation with autonomous delivery workflows. Although these pilots were not industrial soft-robotics deployments, they demonstrate the wider regional interest in adaptable robotic systems operating around people and variable environments. ^{[7]Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Motor Group Robots Get Rolling with Pilot Programs to Advance Last-Mile Delivery, hyundai.com}

Latin America

Latin America is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% through 2035, with Brazil leading at 6.0%. Brazil's food, beverage, consumer-goods, and automotive production base creates potential for compliant handling where product variation and packaging requirements make rigid tooling less efficient. Mexico's integration with North American manufacturing and Argentina's food-processing base add localized opportunities, though adoption will be more sensitive to capital availability, systems-integration capacity, and aftermarket support than in larger automation markets.

The region is likely to favor applications with a clear payback case, including packaging, sorting, and delicate handling that reduces product loss or manual intervention. Suppliers that offer modular cells, local technical support, and financing flexibility are better positioned than those relying on complex, bespoke projects with long commissioning cycles.

Middle East and Africa

Middle East and Africa remains an emerging market for industrial soft robotics. South Africa is projected to grow at 6.8%, while Saudi Arabia is forecast to grow at 6.4%. South Africa's established industrial and food-processing activities provide a base for targeted automation adoption. Saudi Arabia and the UAE offer opportunities associated with industrial diversification, logistics investment, and food-security initiatives, although project timing can depend on broader capital-program priorities.

The regional commercial model will differ from that of North America, Europe, and East Asia. Demonstration projects and distributor-led deployments may precede broad local integration capability. Suppliers that can simplify commissioning, provide remote diagnostics under appropriate cybersecurity controls, and support customers through training and maintenance will have a stronger route to sustained adoption.

Latin America and the Middle East and Africa present more selective opportunities. In these regions, the strongest soft-robotics use cases will be those that convert directly into lower product damage, reduced manual handling, or a clear capacity gain. This increases the strategic importance of modular cells, local service coverage, and financing structures. A supplier's regional advantage will depend less on a universal hardware design than on its ability to align the technology with local manufacturing economics and integration capacity.

Soft Robotics for Industrial Applications Market Share & Competitive Landscape

Schmalz GmbH led the market with an approximately 7% share in 2025, while the top five participants collectively held about 32%. The market is therefore moderately concentrated: leading suppliers hold meaningful positions, but no single company controls the full stack of compliant tooling, actuators, vision, controls, robot platforms, and application integration. Competition centers on the ability to combine these capabilities around defined industrial workflows.

Schmalz has strengthened its soft-robotics position through the August 2024 acquisition of Soft Robotics Inc.'s mGrip product family, including soft finger-gripper configurations, patents, and know-how. The company subsequently extended its partnership with Oxipital AI in June 2025, pairing mGrip grippers and vacuum tooling with vision-guided inspection and robotic picking. This combination creates a more complete offer for variable food, beverage, and industrial picking tasks, where the commercial objective is not merely to grip an object but to identify, pick, inspect, and transfer it reliably.

Soft Robotics Inc., now Oxipital AI, changed its market role when it divested its soft-gripping business to Schmalz and rebranded on August 6, 2024. The company's strategic relevance now lies in AI-enabled machine vision for robotic picking and product inspection. Its alliance with Schmalz illustrates a broader competitive pattern: software and vision specialists can remain central to soft-robotic applications without owning the compliant end effector, provided they integrate effectively with the hardware selected by the customer.

Universal Robots competes through collaborative robot platforms that can host compliant tooling from multiple vendors. The May 2025 UR15 launch introduced OptiMove motion-control technology and stated up to a 30% cycle-time improvement for high-speed pick-and-place operations involving fragile items. Teradyne Robotics also presented its AI Accelerator toolkit at NVIDIA GTC in March 2025, integrating NVIDIA Isaac Manipulator capabilities, including pose estimation and path planning, with Universal Robots' PolyScope X platform. These developments position the company around the performance and software environment of the broader cell, rather than a proprietary soft-gripping technology alone. ^{[8]Universal Robots, Universal Robots Introduces Its Fastest-Ever Cobot to Enable Unprecedented Performance in Collaborative Automation, universal-robots.com}

Festo SE & Co. KG remains relevant through pneumatic automation, motion control, and bio-inspired handling technologies. Its competitive strength is its ability to connect compliant actuation concepts with established industrial automation infrastructure. Shadow Robot Company is differentiated by advanced dexterous-hand technologies that support complex manipulation research and specialist applications. Both companies are more likely to benefit where customers require sophisticated control of contact and motion rather than a standardized packaging-cell deployment.

Kawasaki Robotics, OnRobot A/S, Piab AB, RightHand Robotics, Rochu, Schunk GmbH, SMC Corporation, Ubiros, and Beijing Soft Robot Tech complete the authorized competitive set. Their positions span robot platforms, end-of-arm tooling, vacuum and pneumatic technologies, picking systems, soft-robotics specialization, and industrial automation components. Their ability to win projects will depend on the specific mix of payload requirements, part variability, integration compatibility, hygiene standards, and local support needed by the end user. In this fragmented environment, partnerships can be as strategically important as direct product breadth because they determine whether a supplier can deliver a complete, validated solution.

Recent Industry Developments

• On December 1, 2025, Yaskawa Electric and SoftBank Corp. announced a strategic collaboration on Physical AI. The initiative combines Yaskawa's MOTOMAN NEXT autonomous robots with SoftBank's AI-RAN and multi-access edge-computing infrastructure to support real-time, low-latency robotic decision-making.
• From June 24 to 27, 2025, KUKA presented iiQWorks Copilot at Automatica. Developed with Microsoft, the natural-language programming assistant is intended to reduce robot-programming time by up to 80%.
• On May 12, 2025, Universal Robots launched the UR15 at the Automate Show in Detroit. The cobot introduced OptiMove motion control and was positioned for high-speed pick-and-place applications involving fragile items.
• On June 2, 2025, Oxipital AI and Schmalz extended their partnership to combine AI vision-guided picking and inspection with mGrip finger grippers and vacuum tooling for food, beverage, and industrial applications.