Small-scale robots offer access to hard-to-reach confined spaces, and promise new solutions for distributed environmental monitoring and remediation as well as targeted medicine. However, miniaturizing traditional robotic components (motors, batteries, actuators, etc.) is challenging due to inherent size, control, and powering limitations. To bypass these limitations, we have designed a responsive morphing materials system integrating liquid crystal polymer networks and structural protein films.
The structural protein film regulates the release and diffusion of a chemical fuel as it adapts its nanostructure, thus providing a self-regulated propulsion mechanisms in water. The liquid crystal polymer network is programmed with splay molecular alignment to bend in and out of the water on demand, thus providing a steering mechanism. Combined, these two strategies have enabled electronics-free, untethered, shape-morphing swimming robots with bioinspired aquatic locomotion, with decoupled propulsion and steering control functions.
This provides a new approach to designing small-scale aquatic robots, replacing traditional electronic components with adaptive and responsive soft materials. The regulation of properties via molecular design and adaptive control of polymer networks is a major goal of IRG 2 of the MRSEC, and this work provides an exciting opportunity to implement this strategy in aquatic robotics.
Published: Huang, Chuqi, et al. "Self‐Propelled Morphing Matter for Small‐Scale Swimming Soft Robots." Advanced Functional Materials 34.52 (2024): 2413129. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202413129
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