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Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Four-Dimensional Printing of Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogel-Based Soft Robots
Published on: January 13, 2023
Soft Robotic Manipulation and Locomotion with a 3D Printed Electroactive Hydrogel
Daehoon Han, Cindy Farino, Chen Yang
1School of Mechanical Engineering , Korea University , Seoul , Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Electroactive hydrogels (EAH) that exhibit large deformation in response to an electric field have received great attention as a potential actuating material for soft robots and artificial muscle. However, their application has been limited due to the use of traditional two-dimensional (2D) fabrication methods. Here we present soft robotic manipulation and locomotion with 3D printed EAH microstructures. Through 3D design and precise dimensional control enabled by a digital light processing (DLP) based micro 3D printing technique, complex 3D actuations of EAH are achieved. We demonstrate soft robotic actuations including gripping and transporting an object and a bidirectional locomotion.
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