scholarly journals Programmable Stimuli-Responsive Actuators for Complex Motions in Soft Robotics: Concept, Design and Challenges

Actuators ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Gilles Decroly ◽  
Antoniya Toncheva ◽  
Loïc Blanc ◽  
Jean-Marie Raquez ◽  
Thomas Lessinnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Material Science ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Concept Design ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Stimulus Responsive ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Soft Actuators

During the last years, great progress was made in material science in terms of concept, design and fabrication of new composite materials with conferred properties and desired functionalities. The scientific community paid particular interest to active soft materials, such as soft actuators, for their potential as transducers responding to various stimuli aiming to produce mechanical work. Inspired by this, materials engineers today are developing multidisciplinary approaches to produce new active matters, focusing on the kinematics allowed by the material itself more than on the possibilities offered by its design. Traditionally, more complex motions beyond pure elongation and bending are addressed by the robotics community. The present review targets encompassing and rationalizing a framework which will help a wider scientific audience to understand, sort and design future soft actuators and methods enabling complex motions. Special attention is devoted to recent progress in developing innovative stimulus-responsive materials and approaches for complex motion programming for soft robotics. In this context, a challenging overview of the new materials as well as their classification and comparison (performances and characteristics) are proposed. In addition, the great potential of soft transducers are outlined in terms of kinematic capabilities, illustrated by the related application. Guidelines are provided to design actuators and to integrate asymmetry enabling motions along any of the six basic degrees of freedom (translations and rotations), and strategies towards the programming of more complex motions are discussed. As a final note, a series of manufacturing methods are described and compared, from molding to 3D and 4D printing. The review ends with a Perspectives section, from material science and microrobotic points of view, on the soft materials’ future and close future challenges to be overcome.

Cutting the Cord: Progress in Untethered Soft Robotics and Actuators

MRS Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (51-52) ◽  
pp. 2787-2804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Li ◽  
Nicholas A Ostrovsky-Snider ◽  
Metin Sitti ◽  
Fiorenzo G Omenetto
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Material Science ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
New Materials ◽  
Real World Applications ◽  
Soft Actuators ◽  
Rigid Skeleton

AbstractIn recent decades, increasing research interest has shifted from traditional rigid skeleton robotics to flexible, shape-programmable, environmentally adaptive and stimuli-responsive “soft robotics”. Within this discipline, soft-robots capable of untethered and/or remote-controlled operation are of particular interest given their utility for actuation in complex situations with larger range of mobility and higher degrees of freedom. The use of new materials and the development of advanced fabrication techniques enable better performance and expand the utility of such soft actuators, moving them towards real-world applications. This review outlines some recent advances in untethered soft robotics and actuators to illustrate the promise of these applications at the interface of material science and device engineering.

scholarly journals Dragonfly Inspired Smart Soft Robot

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vardhman Kumar ◽  
Ung Hyun Ko ◽  
Yilong Zhou ◽  
Jiaul Hoque ◽  
Gaurav Arya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Soft Robots ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Environmental Perturbations ◽  
Integration Strategies ◽  
Soft Actuators ◽  
Harsh Conditions

Recent advancements in soft robotics have led to the development of compliant robots that can exhibit complex motions driven by living cells(1, 2), chemical reactions(3), or electronics(4). Further innovations are however needed to create the next generation of soft robots that can carry out advanced functions beyond locomotion. Here we describe DraBot—a dragonfly-inspired, entirely soft, multifunctional robot that combines long-term locomotion over water surface with sensing, responding, and adaptation capabilities. By integrating soft actuators, stimuli-responsive materials, and microarchitectural features, we created a circuitry of pneumatic and microfluidic logic that enabled the robot to undergo user- and environment-controlled (pH) locomotion, including navigating hazardous (acidic) conditions. DraBot was also engineered to sense additional environmental perturbations (temperature) and detect and clean up chemicals (oil). The design, fabrication, and integration strategies demonstrated here pave a way for developing futuristic soft robots that can acclimatize and adapt to harsh conditions while carrying out complex tasks such as exploration, environmental remediation, and health care in complex environments.

Stimuli-responsive cylindrical hydrogels mimic intestinal peristalsis to propel a solid object

Soft Matter ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 3582-3588 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Nistor ◽  
J. Cannell ◽  
J. Gregory ◽  
L. Yeghiazarian
Keyword(s):  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Solid Object ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Load Transport ◽  
Intestinal Peristalsis

The emerging field of soft robotics relies on soft, stimuli-responsive materials to enable load transport, manipulation, and mobility in complex unconstrained environments.

scholarly journals Programmable active kirigami metasheets with more freedom of actuation

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (52) ◽  
pp. 26407-26413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yichao Tang ◽  
Yanbin Li ◽  
Yaoye Hong ◽  
Shu Yang ◽  
Jie Yin
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Environmental Temperature ◽  
Mechanical Forces ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Promising Strategy ◽  
Unit Cells ◽  
Potential Applications

Kirigami (cutting and/or folding) offers a promising strategy to reconfigure metamaterials. Conventionally, kirigami metamaterials are often composed of passive cut unit cells to be reconfigured under mechanical forces. The constituent stimuli-responsive materials in active kirigami metamaterials instead will enable potential mechanical properties and functionality, arising from the active control of cut unit cells. However, the planar features of hinges in conventional kirigami structures significantly constrain the degrees of freedom (DOFs) in both deformation and actuation of the cut units. To release both constraints, here, we demonstrate a universal design of implementing folds to reconstruct sole-cuts–based metamaterials. We show that the supplemented folds not only enrich the structural reconfiguration beyond sole cuts but also enable more DOFs in actuating the kirigami metasheets into 3 dimensions (3D) in response to environmental temperature. Utilizing the multi-DOF in deformation of unit cells, we demonstrate that planar metasheets with the same cut design can self-fold into programmable 3D kirigami metastructures with distinct mechanical properties. Last, we demonstrate potential applications of programmable kirigami machines and easy-turning soft robots.

scholarly journals Monolithic shape-programmable dielectric liquid crystal elastomer actuators

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. eaay0855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoey S. Davidson ◽  
Hamed Shahsavan ◽  
Amirreza Aghakhani ◽  
Yubing Guo ◽  
Lindsey Hines ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Elastic Anisotropy ◽  
Active Material ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators

Soft robotics may enable many new technologies in which humans and robots physically interact, yet the necessary high-performance soft actuators still do not exist. The optimal soft actuators need to be fast and forceful and have programmable shape changes. Furthermore, they should be energy efficient for untethered applications and easy to fabricate. Here, we combine desirable characteristics from two distinct active material systems: fast and highly efficient actuation from dielectric elastomers and directed shape programmability from liquid crystal elastomers. Via a top-down photoalignment method, we program molecular alignment and localized giant elastic anisotropy into the liquid crystal elastomers. The linearly actuated liquid crystal elastomer monoliths achieve strain rates over 120% per second with an energy conversion efficiency of 20% while moving loads over 700 times the elastomer weight. The electric actuation mechanism offers unprecedented opportunities toward miniaturization with shape programmability, efficiency, and more degrees of freedom for applications in soft robotics and beyond.

scholarly journals Recent Progress on Plant-Inspired Soft Robotics with Hydrogel Building Blocks: Fabrication, Actuation and Application

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 608
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Xu ◽  
Yongsen Zhou ◽  
Baoping Zhang ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Jianfeng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Robotic Systems ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
External Stimuli

Millions of years’ evolution has imparted life on earth with excellent environment adaptability. Of particular interest to scientists are some plants capable of macroscopically and reversibly altering their morphological and mechanical properties in response to external stimuli from the surrounding environment. These intriguing natural phenomena and underlying actuation mechanisms have provided important design guidance and principles for man-made soft robotic systems. Constructing bio-inspired soft robotic systems with effective actuation requires the efficient supply of mechanical energy generated from external inputs, such as temperature, light, and electricity. By combining bio-inspired designs with stimuli-responsive materials, various intelligent soft robotic systems that demonstrate promising and exciting results have been developed. As one of the building materials for soft robotics, hydrogels are gaining increasing attention owing to their advantageous properties, such as ultra-tunable modulus, high compliance, varying stimuli-responsiveness, good biocompatibility, and high transparency. In this review article, we summarize the recent progress on plant-inspired soft robotics assembled by stimuli-responsive hydrogels with a particular focus on their actuation mechanisms, fabrication, and application. Meanwhile, some critical challenges and problems associated with current hydrogel-based soft robotics are briefly introduced, and possible solutions are proposed. We expect that this review would provide elementary tutorial guidelines to audiences who are interested in the study on nature-inspired soft robotics, especially hydrogel-based intelligent soft robotic systems.

scholarly journals Aptamer-Functionalized Hybrid Nanostructures for Sensing, Drug Delivery, Catalysis and Mechanical Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1803
Author(s):  
Margarita Vázquez-González ◽  
Itamar Willner
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Material Science ◽  
Metal Organic Framework ◽  
Sio2 Nanoparticles ◽  
Drug Carriers ◽  
Hybrid Nanostructures ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Functionalized Nanomaterials ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Metal Organic

Sequence-specific nucleic acids exhibiting selective recognition properties towards low-molecular-weight substrates and macromolecules (aptamers) find growing interest as functional biopolymers for analysis, medical applications such as imaging, drug delivery and even therapeutic agents, nanotechnology, material science and more. The present perspective article introduces a glossary of examples for diverse applications of aptamers mainly originated from our laboratory. These include the introduction of aptamer-functionalized nanomaterials such as graphene oxide, Ag nanoclusters and semiconductor quantum dots as functional hybrid nanomaterials for optical sensing of target analytes. The use of aptamer-functionalized DNA tetrahedra nanostructures for multiplex analysis and aptamer-loaded metal-organic framework nanoparticles acting as sense-and-treat are introduced. Aptamer-functionalized nano and microcarriers are presented as stimuli-responsive hybrid drug carriers for controlled and targeted drug release, including aptamer-functionalized SiO2 nanoparticles, carbon dots, metal-organic frameworks and microcapsules. A further application of aptamers involves the conjugation of aptamers to catalytic units as a means to mimic enzyme functions “nucleoapzymes”. In addition, the formation and dissociation of aptamer-ligand complexes are applied to develop mechanical molecular devices and to switch nanostructures such as origami scaffolds. Finally, the article discusses future challenges in applying aptamers in material science, nanotechnology and catalysis.

Smart Polymers and their Applications: A Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gore S. A. ◽  
Gholve S. B. ◽  
Savalsure S. M. ◽  
Ghodake K. B. ◽  
Bhusnure O. G. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Solution Temperature ◽  
Smart Polymers ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Water Soluble Polymers ◽  
Commercial Applications ◽  
Stimuli Sensitive ◽  
External Stimuli

Smart polymers are materials that respond to small external stimuli. These are also referred as stimuli responsive materials or intelligent materials. Smart polymers that can exhibit stimuli-sensitive properties are becoming important in many commercial applications. These polymers can change shape, strength and pore size based on external factors such as temperature, pH and stress. The stimuli include salt, UV irradiation, temperature, pH, magnetic or electric field, ionic factors etc. Smart polymers are very promising applicants in drug delivery, tissue engineering, cell culture, gene carriers, textile engineering, oil recovery, radioactive wastage and protein purification. The study is focused on the entire features of smart polymers and their most recent and relevant applications. Water soluble polymers with tunable lower critical solution temperature (LCST) are of increasing interest for biological applications such as cell patterning, smart drug release, DNA sequencing etc.

Sensitive Mechanocontrolled Luminescence in Cross-Linked Polymer Films

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayumu Karimata ◽  
Pradnya Patil ◽  
Eugene Khaskin ◽  
Sébastien Lapointe ◽  
robert fayzullin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Stress ◽  
Polymer Films ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Small Strain ◽  
Visual Methods ◽  
Photoluminescence Intensity ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Mechanical Stretching

Direct translation of mechanical force into changes in chemical behavior on a molecular level has important implication not only for the fundamental understanding of mechanochemical processes, but also for the development of new stimuli-responsive materials. In particular, detection of mechanical stress in polymers via non-destructive methods is important in order to prevent material failure and to study the mechanical properties of soft matter. Herein, we report that highly sensitive changes in photoluminescence intensity can be observed in response to the mechanical stretching of cross-linked polymer films when using stable, (pyridinophane)Cu-based dynamic mechanophores. Upon stretching, the luminescence intensity increases in a fast and reversible manner even at small strain (< 50%) and applied stress (< 0.1 MPa) values. Such sensitivity is unprecedented when compared to previously reported systems based on organic mechanophores. The system also allows for the detection of weak mechanical stress by spectroscopic measurements or by direct visual methods.<br>

A new pathway for the formation of radial nematic droplets within a lipid-laden aqueous-liquid crystal interface

RSC Advances ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (36) ◽  
pp. 18889-18893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumyra Sidiq ◽  
Dibyendu Das ◽  
Santanu Kumar Pal
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Topological Defects ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
First Time ◽  
Crystal Interface

A new pathway for the formation of liquid crystal (LC) droplets with radial LC ordering is reported for the first time in the presence of surfactants and lipids. Interactions of an enzyme with the topological defects in the LC mediate the response of these droplets and thus provide new designs for stimuli-responsive soft materials.

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