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Programmable Morphing Hydrogels for Soft Actuators and Robots: From Structure Designs to Active Functions.

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This study reviews hydrogel-based soft actuators and robots, inspired by nature. It details design principles for controllable deformations and motions, enabling applications in robotics and biomedicine.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Robotics
  • Biomimetics

Background:

  • Nature offers inspiration for smart materials capable of actuation and movement.
  • Living organisms adapt shape and position in response to stimuli, providing paradigms for material design.
  • Hydrogels, with their tissue-like properties and responsiveness, are ideal for constructing soft actuators and robots.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an overview of fundamental principles for controllable hydrogel deformations and motions.
  • To focus on structure designs and responsive functions of hydrogel-based soft actuators and robots.
  • To highlight recent progress, design principles, and applications in morphing hydrogels.

Main Methods:

  • Reviewing fundamental deformation modes, structure features, actuation strategies, and morphing mechanisms of hydrogels.
  • Highlighting in-plane gradient structures for programmable deformations and bistability.
  • Overviewing soft actuators and robots based on morphing hydrogels, focusing on working principles and structure designs.

Main Results:

  • Diverse morphing hydrogels and soft actuators/robots have been developed, demonstrating bending, folding, and self-shaping capabilities.
  • Hydrogel-based soft robots exhibit swift locomotion with various gaits, emphasizing structure control and dynamic actuation.
  • Applications span biomedicine, cargo delivery, soft electronics, and information encryption, with some systems showing collaborative functions and intelligence.

Conclusions:

  • Hydrogel-based actuators and robots offer versatile applications in various fields.
  • Miniature hydrogel robots with therapeutic or diagnostic functions are highly desired for biomedical applications.
  • The morphing mechanisms discussed can be applied to other responsive materials, inspiring future research in multifunctional soft machines.