Bio-inspired soft pneumatic actuator based on a kresling-like pattern with a rigid skeleton

•We proposed an SPA based on a Kresling-like pattern with a rigid skeleton by observing the cloning and moving behaviors from salps.•An extensible inserting structure is innovatively designed to replace the creases in traditional Kresling patterns.•The SPA can perform an axial contraction motion without twisting and a controllable bending motion.•The number of layers of Kresling-like patterns is changeable by adding or reducing skeleton components.•The elongation can reach to above 162% and the output force can reach to above 6.36 N.