Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2025
12:26
Control of Cell Adhesion using Hydrogel Patterning Techniques for Applications in Traction Force Microscopy
Published on: January 29, 2022
5.7K
Light-Responsive Hydrogel Microcrawlers, Powered and Steered with Spatially Homogeneous Illumination
Jindrich Kropacek1, Charlie Maslen1, Paolo Gidoni2,3
1Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
Soft Robotics
|March 6, 2024
Summary
Researchers developed new light-driven microrobots capable of untethered locomotion. These soft, polymeric robots can be steered with ultraviolet light, enabling precise control for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Materials Science
- Optics
Background:
- Miniaturization of robots presents significant engineering challenges.
- Soft actuating polymeric materials offer novel solutions for micro-robotics.
- Untethered locomotion is crucial for practical applications of microrobots.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present light-driven, crawling microrobots with a single degree of freedom actuation.
- To demonstrate simultaneous multidirectional motion of multiple robots.
- To introduce a method for steering microrobots using ultraviolet (UV) light.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of sub-millimeter robots with light-responsive tail sections.
- Utilizing spatial light modulation to control robot locomotion direction.
- Employing reversible deformation of the robot's front section with UV light for steering.
Main Results:
- Robots achieved untethered locomotion driven by light stimuli.
- Locomotion direction was dictated by robot body design, independent of light modulation.
- Successful demonstration of simultaneous multidirectional motion for multiple robots.
- Reversible steering (right/left turns) achieved using UV light triggers.
Conclusions:
- Light-driven microrobots offer a promising platform for micro-assembly and healthcare.
- The presented steering mechanism provides flexible and precise navigation control.
- Decoupling motion from light source position enhances operational flexibility for multiple robots.
