Abstract
This paper presents fabrication and actuation methods for a soft microrobot with a hybrid structure composed of soft microactuators and a rigid supporting body. This hybrid structure enables actuation of the microrobot with independent driving of multiple actuators to provide complex movement like that of living microorganisms. We use the temperature-responsive hydrogel poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) as a soft microactuator. PNIPAAm swells with water at low temperature but shrinks at high temperature. This volume change thus allows PNIPAAm to be used as an actuator by controlling its temperature. We successfully fabricated the microrobot with its soft-rigid hybrid structure composed of PNIPAAm and rigid photoresist using a multilayered microfabrication process. In addition, we used a sacrificial layer process to release the fabricated microrobot from the substrate to allow it to move freely. To actuate the microrobot, we mixed PNIPAAm with graphene, which has a high photothermal conversion efficiency. The temperature of the soft actuator when mixed with graphene can be increased by irradiating it with light. Therefore, actuation of the microrobot is achieved by sequentially irradiating the microactuators with focused light. We present the fabrication, release and partial actuation of the microrobot to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed microrobot with the soft-rigid hybrid structure in this paper.
Highlights
In recent decades, soft robots have been attracting considerable attention because these robots have potential to bring a new era of robotics and be used in numerous practical applications [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
Light driving of soft actuator First, we evaluated the driving characteristics of patterned PNIPAAm acting as a soft actuator when driven using the proposed method
The microrobots are patterned on the sacrificial layer
Summary
Soft robots have been attracting considerable attention because these robots have potential to bring a new era of robotics and be used in numerous practical applications [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. From the viewpoint of basic research, artificial mechanisms with softness similar to that of living organisms can aid in understanding the origins of unique functions or the high efficiency of the mechanisms of living organisms By understanding these origins, we can realize robots that have new functions or greater efficiency by correctly mimicking the mechanisms of living organisms, such as the locomotion. Watanabe et al Robomech J (2019) 6:11 have soft muscles located inside rigid exoskeletons These hybrid structures work excellently and can be used to realize a variety of movements, including walking, running, swimming or flying. These soft-rigid hybrid structures are thought to be a key feature of living organisms. Most reported soft robots have hybrid structures comprising soft actuators and rigid supporting bodies [4,5,6,7,8,9]
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