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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

Lifetime-configurable soft robots via photodegradable silicone elastomer composites.

Min-Ha Oh¹, Young-Hwan Kim¹, Seung-Min Lee¹

¹Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.

Science Advances

|August 25, 2023

Summary

Researchers developed on-demand degradable soft robots using a silicone resin and a fluoride-generating compound. These hyperelastic robots maintain functionality during operation and degrade under UV light, offering a sustainable solution for soft robotics waste.

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Last Updated: Jul 18, 2025

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Robotics Engineering
Polymer Chemistry

Background:

Soft robots require controllable lifecycles and on-demand degradation to minimize waste and enhance safety.
Maintaining hyperelasticity during operation while enabling triggered decomposition is a significant challenge in soft robotics.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop novel soft robotic materials with on-demand degradability and hyperelastic properties.
To investigate the degradation mechanism of silicone-based soft robots under specific stimuli.
To demonstrate the practical application of these degradable soft robots in autonomous systems.

Main Methods:

Incorporation of diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate into a silicone resin to create a degradable polymer matrix.
Spectroscopic analysis (e.g., FTIR) to elucidate the Si-O-Si backbone cleavage mechanism induced by fluoride ions.
Thermal analysis (e.g., TGA) to assess the decomposition kinetics at elevated temperatures.
Fabrication of integrated soft robots, including a gaiting robot and a closed-loop disintegration robot.

Main Results:

The developed silicone-based material exhibited excellent mechanical stretchability and on-demand degradation under ultraviolet (UV) light.
Fluoride ions generated from the additive were confirmed to cleave the siloxane (Si-O-Si) backbone, initiating degradation.
Accelerated decomposition rates were observed at higher temperatures, providing tunable degradation control.
Successful demonstration of functional soft robots, including an electronics-integrated gaiting robot and a self-disintegrating robot, showcasing practical applicability.

Conclusions:

A novel and straightforward strategy for creating life-cycle-controllable soft robots has been established.
The developed materials offer a sustainable approach to reduce soft robotics waste and enhance hardware security.
These on-demand degradable soft robots hold potential for applications in hazardous environments and temporary robotic systems.