Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Observational and modelled insights of volatile organic compounds into seasonal atmospheric oxidation capacity and radical chemistry over North China.

Journal of environmental sciences (China)·2026

Same author

Controlled Acceleration of Intaglio Ink Curing via Encapsulated Additives.

ACS omega·2025

Same author

Unveiling the Origin of Morphological Instability in Topologically Complex Electrocatalytic Nanostructures.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025

Same author

Designing High-Temperature Stable Electrolytes: Insights from the Degradation Mechanisms of Boron-Containing Additives.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025

Same author

Exploring the correlation and mechanism of natural killer cell cytotoxic sensitivity against gastric cancer.

Oncology research·2025

Same author

Pinpointing potent hits for cancer immunotherapy targeting the TIGIT/PVR pathway using the XGBoost model, centroid-based virtual screening, and MD simulation.

Computational biology and chemistry·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 22, 2025

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

An Untethered Soft Robot Based on Liquid Crystal Elastomers.

Jennifer M Boothby¹, Jarod C Gagnon¹, Emil McDowell¹

¹Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA.

|January 7, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A novel untethered soft robot utilizes liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuators for movement. This robot demonstrates wireless control, significant force, and repeatable strain, paving the way for payload transport applications.

Keywords:

actuation liquid crystal elastomers smart polymer soft robotics untethered work capacity

More Related Videos

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Published on: November 14, 2015

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Published on: May 25, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 22, 2025

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Published on: November 14, 2015

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Published on: May 25, 2016

Area of Science:

Robotics
Materials Science
Soft Robotics

Background:

Soft robots offer advantages in dexterity and safety over rigid robots.
Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) are promising materials for soft actuators due to their large, reversible actuation strains.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop an untethered, soft robot capable of autonomous movement and payload transport.
To integrate onboard power and wireless control for LCE actuators.
To optimize LCE actuator configuration and control strategies for enhanced locomotion.

Main Methods:

Development of a soft robot chassis incorporating multiple LCE actuators.
Thermal triggering of LCE actuators via Joule heating for actuation.
Integration of a battery and control board for wireless Bluetooth operation.
Implementation of system-level programming for coordinated LCE leg actuation and movement control.

Main Results:

LCE actuators demonstrated an approximate 5 N force pull capacity and >20% repeatable strain over >100 cycles.
The robot achieved a maximum movement speed of 1.27 cm/min with coordinated leg actuation.
The robot exhibited path control capabilities, including turning, and a pulling capacity of up to 1400 g.

Conclusions:

The developed soft robot showcases the potential of LCE actuators for untethered, wirelessly controlled locomotion.
The system design effectively mitigates LCE slow recovery, enabling practical movement.
The robot's payload capacity opens possibilities for integrated sensors or extended functionality.