Solar-Driven Soft Robots.

Seyed M Mirvakili,Evelyn N Wang,Douglas Sim,Arny Leroy

doi:10.1002/advs.202004235

Abstract

Stimuli‐responsive materials have been lately employed in soft robotics enabling new classes of robots that can emulate biological systems. The untethered operation of soft materials with high power light, magnetic field, and electric field has been previously demonstrated. While electric and magnetic fields can be stimulants for untethered actuation, their rapid decay as a function of distance limits their efficacy for long‐range operations. In contrast, light—in the form of sunlight or collimated from an artificial source (e.g., laser, Xenon lamps)—does not decay rapidly, making it suitable for long‐range excitation of untethered soft robots. In this work, an approach to harnessing sunlight for the untethered operation of soft robots is presented. By employing a selective solar absorber film and a low‐boiling point (34 °C) fluid, light‐operated soft robotic grippers are demonstrated, grasping and lifting objects almost 25 times the mass of the fluid in a controllable fashion. The method addresses one of the salient challenges in the field of untethered soft robotics. It precludes the use of bulky peripheral components (e.g., compressors, valves, or pressurized gas tank) and enables the untethered long‐range operation of soft robots.

Highlights

Except for phase-change materials, the rest of the mentioned techniques are Inspired by nature, researchers have developed soft robots that can perform complex robotic maneuvers, emulating biological systems, with their compliant structure.[1]
We demonstrate untethered soft robotic grippers grasping and lifting objects almost 25 times the mass of the phase-change fluid when exposed to white light
The pressure chamber is made of a glass syringe with its one end sealed with a heat sink, and the other end connected to a soft robot (Figure 1A)

Summary

Introduction

Except for phase-change materials, the rest of the mentioned techniques are Inspired by nature, researchers have developed soft robots that can perform complex robotic maneuvers, emulating biological systems, with their compliant structure.[1]. Liquid-to-gas phase transition (e.g., 1600 for water at standard conditions) is harnessed to actuate soft robotic prototypes hydraulically. We demonstrate untethered soft robotic grippers grasping and lifting objects almost 25 times the mass of the phase-change fluid when exposed to white light. Unlike electric and pneumatic sources, sunlight is available in most parts of the planet and the solar system making our design widely applicable for a variety of applications

Results and Discussion

Applications

Conclusion

Experimental Section

Data Availability Statement