Receptogenesis in a Vascularized Robotic Embodiment

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a vascularized robotic system capable of on-demand sensor synthesis through fluidic-driven photopolymerization, enabling real-time hardware updates in response to environmental cues.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for in situ hardware growth in robots using fluidic transport and photopolymerization, inspired by biological circulatory systems.

Findings

Successfully synthesized sensors inside the robot using internal fluid reserves.

The new sensors enabled autonomous control of wing flapping in a robotic demonstrator.

Material restructuring improved the robot's adaptability to environmental changes.

Abstract

Equipping robotic systems with the capacity to generate $\textit{ex novo}$ hardware during operation extends control of physical adaptability. Unlike modular systems that rely on discrete component integration pre- or post-deployment, we envision the possibility that physical adaptation and development emerge from dynamic material restructuring to shape the body's intrinsic functions. Drawing inspiration from circulatory systems that redistribute mass and function in biological organisms, we utilize fluidics to restructure the material interface, a capability currently unpaired in robotics. Here, we realize this synthetic growth capability through a vascularized robotic composite designed for programmable material synthesis, demonstrated via receptogenesis - the on-demand construction of sensors from internal fluid reserves based on environmental cues. By coordinating the fluidic transport of precursors with external localized UV irradiation, we drive an $\textit{in situ}$ photopolymerization that chemically reconstructs the vasculature from the inside out. This reaction converts precursors with photolatent initiator into a solid dispersion of UV-sensitive polypyrrole in PETG, establishing a sensing modality validated by a characteristic decrease in electrical impedance. The newly synthesized sensor closed a local control loop to regulate wing flapping in a moth-inspired robotic demonstrator. This physical update increased the robot's capability in real time. Material-level functional restructuring of the vascularized robot body provides a proof-of-concept materials basis for $\textit{ex novo}$ hardware generation in situated robotic systems - a step toward situated robots in which a reaction to environmental stimuli autonomously produces hardware updates to match new environmental demands.