Feedback Regulated Opto-Mechanical Soft Robotic Actuators

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel feedback mechanism in light-responsive soft robotic actuators inspired by biological systems, enabling autonomous shape-morphing and self-regulation without complex electronics.

Contribution

It presents a general principle for designing feedback loops in opto-mechanical materials, demonstrated through programmable positive and negative feedback in soft robots.

Findings

Achieved multi-stable shape-morphing controlled by light intensity.

Demonstrated autonomous locomotor and swimming soft robots.

Unveiled the ubiquity of feedback in light-responsive materials.

Abstract

Natural organisms can convert environmental stimuli into sensory feedback to regulate their body and realize active adaptivity. However, realizing such a feedback-regulation mechanism in synthetic material systems remains a grand challenge. It is believed that achieving complex feedback mechanisms in responsive materials will pave the way toward autonomous, intelligent structure and actuation without complex electronics. Inspired by living systems, we report a general principle to design and construct such feedback loops in light-responsive materials. Specifically, we design a baffle-actuator mechanism to incorporate programmed feedback into the opto-mechanical responsiveness. By simply addressing the baffle position with respect to the incident light beam, positive and negative feedback are programmed. We demonstrate the transformation of a light-bending strip into a switcher, where the intensity of light determines the energy barrier under positive feedback, realizing multi-stable shape-morphing. By leveraging the negative feedback and associated homeostasis, we demonstrate two soft robots, i.e., a locomotor and a swimmer. Furthermore, we unveil the ubiquity of feedback in light-responsive materials, which provides new insight into self-regulated robotic matters.