  Deformable object manipulation (DOM) is an emerging research problem in
robotics. The ability to manipulate deformable objects endows robots with
higher autonomy and promises new applications in the industrial, services, and
healthcare sectors. However, compared to rigid object manipulation, the
manipulation of deformable objects is considerably more complex, and is still
an open research problem. Addressing DOM challenges demand breakthroughs in
almost all aspects of robotics, namely hardware design, sensing, (deformation)
modeling, planning, and control. In this article, we review recent advances and
highlight the main challenges when considering deformation in each sub-field. A
particular focus of our paper lies in the discussions of these challenges and
proposing future directions of research.
