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Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators
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Light-driven untethered soft actuators based on biomimetic microstructure arrays.

Wei Jiang1, Guoyong Ye1, Bangdao Chen1

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. guoyongye@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.

Soft Matter
|September 13, 2021
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces an untethered soft actuator that uses near-infrared (NIR) light for locomotion and object manipulation. Inspired by geckos, this smart actuator can pick up, transport, and deliver objects on natural terrains.

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Materials Science
  • Biomimetics

Background:

  • Untethered soft actuators are crucial for complex tasks but face challenges in locomotion on natural terrains.
  • Existing soft actuators often require tethers or have limited manipulation capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop an untethered soft actuator capable of locomotion and object manipulation using near-infrared (NIR) light.
  • To mimic gecko crawling for enhanced mobility in natural environments.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication using integrative soft-lithography, inking, and imprinting processes.
  • Integration of photo-responsive multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for light-to-thermal energy conversion.
  • Design of mushroom-shaped microstructures for object grasping and manipulation.

Main Results:

  • The soft actuator demonstrated self-contained locomotion through NIR light-induced thermal energy conversion, resulting in combined discontinuous and continuous movement.
  • The mushroom-shaped microstructures enabled versatile grasping and manipulation of objects irrespective of their shape or size.
  • Experimental and theoretical analyses validated the actuator's performance.

Conclusions:

  • The developed soft actuator integrates smart materials (MWCNTs) and structures (mushroom microstructures) for advanced functionality.
  • This light-driven, untethered soft actuator represents a significant advancement for applications requiring versatile locomotion and manipulation.