Shape Programmable Magnetic Pixel Soft Robot

TL;DR

This paper introduces a shape programmable magnetic pixel soft robot that uses magnetic coding and thermal-assisted magnetization to enable flexible, repeated shape regulation and motion control, overcoming previous design restrictions.

Contribution

It presents a novel magnetic coding technique and fabrication method allowing programmable shape regulation in soft robots through discrete magnetization regions.

Findings

The robot's behavior mode can be flexibly regulated by magnetic encoding.

The magnetic pixel robot demonstrates repeated shape and motion control.

The method enables programmable shape regulation for soft robots.

Abstract

Magnetic response soft robot realizes programmable shape regulation with the help of magnetic field and produces various actions. The shape control of magnetic soft robot is based on the magnetic anisotropy caused by the orderly distribution of magnetic particles in the elastic matrix. In the previous technologies, magnetic programming is coupled with the manufacturing process, and the orientation of magnetic particles cannot be modified, which brings restrictions to the design and use of magnetic soft robot. This paper presents a magnetic pixel robot with shape programmable function. By encapsulating NdFeB/gallium composites into silicone shell, a thermo-magnetic response functional film with lattice structure are fabricated. Basing on thermal-assisted magnetization technique, we realized the discrete magnetization region distribution on the film. Therefore, we proposed a magnetic coding technique to realize the mathematical response action design of software robot. Using these methods, we prepared several magnetic soft robots based on origami structure. The experiments show that the behavior mode of robot can be flexibly and repeatedly regulated by magnetic encoding technique. This work provides a basis for the programmed shape regulation and motion design of soft robot.