Book excerpt: The Mechanics of Hydrogels: Mechanical Properties, Testing, and Applications offers readers a systematic description of the mechanical properties and characterizations of hydrogels. Practical topics such as manufacturing hydrogels with controlled mechanical properties and the mechanical testing of hydrogels are covered at length, as are areas such as inelastic and nonlinear deformation, rheological characterization, fracture and indentation testing, mechanical properties of cellularly responsive hydrogels, and more. Proper instrumentation and modeling techniques for measuring the mechanical properties of hydrogels are also explored. Links the mechanical and biological behaviors and applications of hydrogels Looks at the manufacturing and mechanical testing of hydrogels Discusses the design and use of hydrogels in a wide array of applications