An artificial aquatic polyp that wirelessly attracts, grasps, and releases objects

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Light-responsive materials are crucial for wirelessly driven terrestrial soft robots.
• Expanding soft robotics into aquatic environments faces challenges like slow polymer response to low light and lack of controlled deformations.
• Marine organisms inspire new designs for untethered aquatic soft robots.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an artificial aquatic coral polyp for untethered soft robotics in aqueous environments.
• To overcome limitations of existing light-driven polymers in aquatic applications.
• To demonstrate coordinated motion of stimuli-responsive materials for complex tasks.

Main Methods:

• Designed a surface-anchored artificial polyp with a magnetically driven stem and a light-driven gripper.
• Utilized magnetic motion for stirring and attracting suspended targets.
• Engineered a light-responsive gripper with sensitivity to low light, programmable states, and rapid, controlled actuation for target capture/release.

Main Results:

• The artificial polyp successfully performed magnetically driven motion to attract targets.
• The light-driven gripper demonstrated sensitive, controlled, and on-demand capture and release of targets.
• The study showcased the potential of coordinated stimuli-responsive materials in water.

Conclusions:

• Assemblies of stimuli-responsive materials in water can achieve complex tasks beyond single-component devices.
• The artificial coral polyp represents a significant advancement in aquatic soft robotics.
• This work paves the way for novel applications of untethered soft robots in marine environments.