(Adv. Funct. Mater.) A Visible and Near-Infrared Light-fueled Omnidirectional Twist-bend Crawling Robot
writer：Qian, N.; Bisoyi, H. K.; Wang, M.; Huang, S.; Liu, Z.; Chen, X.; Hu, J.; Yang, H.*; Li, Q.*
keywords：liquid crystal elastomer
source：期刊
specific source：Advanced Functional Materials, 2023, 33, 2214205.
Issue time：2023年
In recent
years, although light-driven soft actuators have attracted intense scientific
attention and achieved remarkable progress, the design and construction of an
intelligent robotic system with maneuverability, self-adaptability, untethered
control and greater freedom of action, in particular the omnidirectional motion
capability on a plane, remain challenging. Here we introduce four types of
photo-thermal conversion fillers and an unprecedented twist-bend actuation mode
into a liquid crystal elastomer-based soft robot. The obtained twist-bend
crawling robot not only exhibits in-situ rotation, four-way turning and
four-way linear motion under light irradiation with four wavelength bands (520,
655, 808, and 980?nm), but also demonstrates the ability to avoid obstacles in
complex geographical environments. This work may bring a new perspective for
fabrication and development of soft robots that could adapt to dynamic and
complex environmental conditions.