Visible Light-Driven Jellyfish-like Miniature Swimming Soft Robot

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Robotics
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Soft actuators with large deformation and fast response are crucial for biomimetic applications.
• Existing technologies often face limitations in speed, reversibility, or responsiveness to stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a convenient method for fabricating a reversible, thermal-responsive composite hydrogel.
• To investigate the light-driven actuation capabilities of the hydrogel for soft robotics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a composite hydrogel incorporating carbon nanotubes.
• Characterization of the hydrogel's thermal responsiveness and bending speed under visible light irradiation.
• Integration of the hydrogel into a jellyfish-like miniature soft robot.

Main Results:

• The striped hydrogel achieved a bending speed of up to 65.72°/s at a carbon nanotube concentration of 3 mg/mL.
• The jellyfish-like robot, driven by visible light, exhibited a maximum swimming speed of 3.37 mm/s.
• The robot demonstrated versatile motion capabilities, including walking, jumping, and directional transportation of small objects.

Conclusions:

• The developed composite hydrogel offers a promising new actuation approach for jellyfish-like miniature soft robots.
• Visible light-driven actuation of soft robots presents significant potential for advancements in flexible bionic robots.
• This research provides valuable insights into biomimetic robot design and visible light-driven actuation mechanisms.