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Bioinspired light-driven soft robots based on liquid crystal polymers
M Pilz da Cunha1, M G Debije1, A P H J Schenning1
1Laboratory of Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials & Devices, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. a.p.h.j.schenning@tue.nl.
Chemical Society Reviews
|August 12, 2020
Summary
Scientists are developing light-driven soft robots using liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs). These bioinspired robots mimic life-like motions and tasks, paving the way for untethered, autonomous devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Robotics
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Nature inspires the creation of untethered, man-made devices capable of life-like motion and tasks.
- Liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) are key materials for developing light-responsive, shape-changing robots.
- Achieving autonomous, light-driven soft robots requires understanding actuation, material performance, and engineering principles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advancements in liquid crystal (LC)-based materials for bioinspired robotics.
- To highlight developments in light-responsive LCPs, shape programmability, and sustained motions.
- To discuss the engineering of untethered soft robots capable of locomotion and task performance.
Main Methods:
- Introduction to liquid crystal (LC) materials and their properties.
- Exploration of light-responsive LCPs and their actuation mechanisms.
- Discussion of shape programming and engineering for bioinspired locomotion.
Main Results:
- Demonstration of LCPs enabling 3D shape changes in response to light.
- Progress in achieving controlled, sustained motions in light-driven soft robots.
- Examples of bioinspired locomotion, from bending to walking, achieved through material design.
Conclusions:
- Liquid crystalline polymers are highly promising for creating autonomous, untethered soft robots.
- Further advancements in material science and engineering are crucial for realizing complex bioinspired robotic functions.
- This review provides insights into the development of light-driven soft robots for diverse applications.
