Programmable multi-stimulus-responsive whirligig beetle inspired soft robot with multifunctionality based on composite materials

Abstract

In nature, surfaces are evolutionarily designed to allow species to adapt to their environments. Nowadays, more and more researchers have paid attention to soft robots based on superhydrophobic surfaces. Inspired by the swimming characteristics of whirligig beetles on the surface of water, we propose in this study a multi-stimulus-responsive soft robot that can be driven by light, magnetism and chemistry to achieve fast straight-line motions, turns and rotations on the surface of water. The soft robot is made of a composite material based on graphene oxide (GO) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which has high hydrophobicity and excellent photothermal properties. With a multi-stimulus-responsive driving mechanism, the soft robot can be used in applications such as oil recovery, cargo transportation, obstacle avoidance, and material dispersion. It is envisioned that this study can guide the development of multi-stimulus-responsive soft robots and offer some useful reference for their applications in water quality monitoring and oil recovery.