SWAG and TUBERS underline the expanding reach of soft robotics

Soft robotics is increasingly proving that its potential goes far beyond a single field of application. Across Europe, new research is showing how soft, adaptive robotic systems can respond to very different challenges ; from supporting human movement to inspecting and repairing critical infrastructure. Two Horizon Europe projects helping to demonstrate that breadth are SWAG and TUBERS.

While SWAG is developing soft wearable assistive garments for human empowerment, TUBERS is building scalable and modular robotic tools for pipeline inspection and repair. Together, they offer a strong example of how soft robotics is maturing into a field with real industrial and societal relevance, capable of delivering impact in environments that demand both adaptability and performance.

For SWAG, the focus is on the human body. The project is developing inflatable, fabric-based assistive exoskeletal devices that target the lower body and core, with the aim of providing lightweight, adaptive support through soft wearable robotics. Its advances are being developed for four application scenarios: motion assistance, occupational enhancement, wellness training and immersive haptics. The project runs from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2027 and has received over €5.36 million in EU funding.

TUBERS brings soft robotics into another pressing area: water infrastructure. The project is creating what CORDIS describes as the world’s first combination of robotic platforms for around-the-clock inspection and targeted in-situ repairs in water networks. Its relevance is clear: according to its CORDIS project page, leaks in the European water distribution network are responsible for 20% of drinking water waste. TUBERS runs from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2026 with an EU contribution of about €2.4 million.

That industrial context makes the project especially timely. Europe’s water systems are under growing pressure from ageing infrastructure and water stress. Reuters reported in February 2025 that in parts of Greece, nearly half of drinking water is lost to leaks and theft, underlining the scale of the infrastructure challenge. Against that background, solutions that improve inspection accuracy, localisation and repair efficiency are becoming more important, and TUBERS shows how soft robotics can contribute directly to that effort.SWAG and TUBERS highlight one of the most interesting developments in robotics today: the growing ability of soft robotic systems to move across sectors while addressing highly specific needs. In SWAG, that means technologies designed for close, responsive interaction with the human body. In TUBERS, it means robotic platforms that can adapt to confined and complex operational environments inside pipeline systems. In both cases, flexibility, intelligent control and application-driven design are central.

This also says something broader about the direction of European research and innovation. Soft robotics is no longer defined only by its novelty. It is increasingly being developed as a practical response to real-world challenges ; whether those concern mobility, safety, maintenance, efficiency or sustainability. Projects like SWAG and TUBERS show that the field is gaining both depth and range, creating solutions that are technically ambitious while remaining closely connected to real operational needs.

As both projects continue toward their next milestones, they reinforce the same message: soft robotics is becoming an enabling technology with value across very different parts of society and industry. And in that sense, SWAG and TUBERS do more than advance their own respective goals : they help illustrate the growing scope and strategic importance of European soft robotics as a whole.

Useful links

SWAG
Website: swag-project.eu
CORDIS: SWAG on CORDIS

TUBERS
Website: tubers-project.eu
CORDIS: TUBERS on CORDIS