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Soft Robots Powered by Sustainable Energy.

Stefano Mariani1, Ruowen Tu1, Kliton Cikalleshi1,2

  • 1Bioinspired Soft Robotics Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova 16163, Italy.

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View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Soft robots utilizing sustainable energy sources like heat and sunlight offer eco-friendly, autonomous operation. Material engineering is key to transforming environmental stimuli into motion for sustainable robotic systems.

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Materials Science
  • Sustainable Energy

Background:

  • Soft robots offer eco-friendly and autonomous operation by using sustainable energy.
  • Material selection and engineering are crucial for efficient energy conversion and actuation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review soft robots powered by abundant environmental energy sources.
  • To distinguish between general environmental energy and truly sustainable operation.
  • To identify pathways for environmentally realistic, autonomous, and long-lived soft robotic systems.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic evaluation of actuators and soft robotic systems based on energy sources and operating conditions.
  • Examination of material properties (chemical, physical, mechanical) for sustainable energy exploitation.
  • Analysis of material integration into composites and mechanism design.

    • Main Results:

    • Various energy sources (heat, humidity, light, osmotic, pH, triboelectricity, wind) can power soft robots.
    • Thermo-responsive, hygroscopic, photothermal, osmotic, pH-sensitive, triboelectric, and wind-dispersed materials enable actuation.
    • Distinction made between sustainable and non-sustainable energy-dependent systems.

    Conclusions:

    • Material science advancements are critical for developing sustainable soft robots.
    • Pathways exist for creating autonomous, long-lived soft robots for environmental applications.
    • Potential applications include environmental monitoring and reforestation.