Abstract The recent decade has seen an astounding increase of interest and advancement in a new field of robotics, aimed at creating structures specifically for the safe interaction with humans. Softness, flexibility, and variable stiffness in robotics have been recognized as highly desirable characteristics for many applications. A number of solutions were proposed ranging from entirely soft robots (such as those composed mainly from soft materials such as silicone), via flexible continuum and snake-like robots, to rigid-link robots enhanced by joints that exhibit an elastic behavior either implemented in hardware or achieved purely by means of intelligent control. Although these are very good solutions paving the path to safe human–robot interaction, we propose here a new approach that focuses on creating stiffness controllability for the linkages between the robot joints. This article proposes a replacement for the traditionally rigid robot link—the new link is equipped with an additional capability of stiffness controllability. With this added feature, a robot can accurately carry out manipulation tasks (high stiffness), but can virtually instantaneously reduc
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