Soft Robotics is an important emerging field in robotics, mechatronics, and automation. Soft robotic components and systems offer new features and advances over conventional robotic devices. This project focuses on the creation of advanced multifunctional artificial muscles (AM) based on new polymer-metal composites which can be used in soft robotic applications (NSF Award #1545857). Via this Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE), a synergistic team of US researchers and collaborators from South Korea and Japan is assembled with expertise in soft robotics to advance the state of the art, as well as to train and prepare the future work force to tackle emerging challenges in soft robotic systems.