A Soft Transporter Robot Fueled by Light

Advanced Science
Marina Pilz da CunhaAlbert P H J Schenning

Abstract

Mobile organisms with ability for locomotion and transportation, such as humans and other animals, utilize orchestrated actuation to perform actions. Mimicking these functionalities in synthetic, light-responsive untethered soft-bodied devices remains a challenge. Inspired by multitasking and mobile biological systems, an untethered soft transporter robot with controlled multidirectional locomotion with the ability of picking up, transporting, and delivering cargo driven entirely by blue light is created. The soft robot design is an ensemble of light-responsive liquid crystalline polymers that can harness motion either collectively or individually to obtain a high degree of motion control for the execution of advanced tasks in a dry environment. Through orchestrated motion of the device's "legs", single displacement strides, which exceed 4 mm and can be taken in any direction, allow for locomotion around objects. Untethered cargo transportation is demonstrated by a pickup and release mechanism using the device's "arms". This strategy demonstrates the constructive harnessing of orchestrated motion in assemblies of established actuators, performing complex functions, mimicking constructive behavior seen in nature.

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Citations

May 28, 2020·Soft Matter·Davey C HoekstraMichael G Debije
Jun 17, 2020·Soft Matter·Markus LahikainenArri Priimagi
Aug 12, 2020·Chemical Society Reviews·M Pilz da CunhaA P H J Schenning
Jan 11, 2020·Angewandte Chemie·Rob C P VerpaalenAlbert P H J Schenning
Jul 15, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Marina Pilz da CunhaAlbert P H J Schenning
Nov 19, 2020·ChemistryOpen·Marina Pilz da CunhaAlbert P H J Schenning
Feb 25, 2021·Advanced Materials·Jiajia YangQuan Li
May 4, 2021·Macromolecular Rapid Communications·Xinglong PanAlbert P H J Schenning
Jun 18, 2021·Frontiers in Chemistry·Qinchao ZhengFanfan Fu
Jan 8, 2021·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Chen ShenHuai Yang
Oct 31, 2021·Advanced Materials·Marc Del PozoMichael G Debije

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
thermal treatment

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