2025/01/01 by Jingxuan Li, Jiaqi Miao, Alan Cheng Hou Tsang · 1 voice
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Materials and Mechanics #Micro and Nano Robotics #Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence
paper · doi:10.1039/d4nr05257a
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) heterogeneous hydrogels, where self-regulated deformations are actuated using a fixed near-infrared laser. By utilizing the different responsiveness of PNIPAM hydrogels and those integrated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO), we have developed three heterogeneous hydrogel configurations: up-down, side-by-side, and hybrid types. These designs enable complex biomimetic deformations in soft hydrogel actuators, resembling a bending finger or a flexible industrial manipulator, all actuated using a single fixed-laser source. These proposed heterogeneous designs and actuation strategies leverage material intelligence to create soft actuators with enhanced autonomy, paving the way for soft automation, adaptive systems, and biomedical applications.