A new class of actuators has been developed over the last few years. The actuators use an elastic medium, often a structural grade of alloy metal, as the transducer and are therefore known as elastic actuators. They may be driven by a wide variety of devices ranging from manual micrometer heads to current waveform generators. This paper describes a half-dozen actuator designs and compares the properties (precision, stability, strength and power) of the actuators that have recommended them for particular applications.