Traditional exoskeletons have made considerable contributions to people in terms of providing wearable assistance and
rehabilitation. However, exoskeletons still have some disadvantages, such as being heavy, bulky, stiff, noisy, and having a fixed
center of rotation that can be a burden on elders and patients with weakened muscles. Conversely, artificial muscles based on soft,
smart materials possess the attributes of being lightweight, compact, highly flexible, and have mute actuation, for which they are
considered to be the most similar to natural muscles. Among these materials, dielectric elastomer (DE) and polyvinyl chloride
(PVC) gel exhibit considerable actuation strain, high actuation stress, high response speed, and long life span, which give them
great potential for application in wearable assistance and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, there is very little research on the appli-
cation of these two materials in these fields. In this review, we first introduce the working principles of the DE and PVC gel
separately. Next, we summarize the DE materials and the preparation of PVC gel. Then, we review the electrodes and self-sensing
systems  of  the  two  materials.  Lastly,  we  present  the  initial  applications  of  these  two  materials  for  wearable  assistance  and 
rehabilitation.

关键词： Artificial ,  muscle,  Smart material,  Dielectric elastomers (DE),  Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel,  Actuator,  Wearable
assistance,  Rehabilitation