3D printing of liquid crystal elastomers-based actuator for an inchworm-inspired crawling soft robot

Song, Xiaowen; Zhang, Weitian; Liu, Haoran; Zhao, Limeng; Chen, Qi; Tian, Hongmiao

doi:10.3389/frobt.2022.889848

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…They exhibit both the anisotropy characteristic of liquid crystals − and the resilience of polymers. During the production of LCEs, liquid crystal molecules can be predetermined through techniques such as surface alignment, , mechanical stretching, and three-dimensional (3D) printing, , enabling LCEs to execute actions including crawling, stretching, rotating, , and various other modes of motion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomimetic Actuator Based on the Evasion Behavior of Pillbugs in Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Chen,

Zhao,

Zhou

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.

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Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are emerging smart materials, widely utilized due to their unique deformability and ease of manufacturing. LCEs, in their native state, lack intrinsic deformation control capabilities, relying on external stimuli to alter their forms, thereby allowing them to propel or manipulate objects. Taking inspiration from the behavioral patterns observed in pillbugs, our objective is to develop a biomimetic device capable of autonomously regulating its deformation, thereby enhancing the innate adaptability of LCEs. In this research, we have conceived an innovative intelligent biomimetic device by integrating cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) and nematic liquid crystal elastomers (NLCEs). This device can exhibit negative phototaxis behavior when exposed to continuous illumination at specific wavelengths. It mirrors an emergency response akin to negative phototaxis observed in certain biological organisms. Upon the detection of intense light, the device exhibits alertness by altering its shape and swiftly relocates from the illuminated area, ceasing its motion once it reaches a safe location.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomimetic Actuator Based on the Evasion Behavior of Pillbugs in Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Chen,

Zhao,

Zhou

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.

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“…Finally, soft robots driven by chemical energy suffer from uncontrollable chemical reactions, poor stability, and limited service life. Although soft robots utilizing 3D and 4D printing offer the advantage of higher density and compactness and have gained considerable attention, the high cost of printers and the poor mechanical energy, that is, in terms of elasticity and flexibility, still brings limits to the robot [31,32]. Robots powered by electromagnetic oscillating actuators (EOA) are simple and low-cost to build, but use rigid materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A walking soft robot driven by electromagnetism inside the body

Zhu,

Guo,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Eng. Res. Express

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Existing magnetically driven soft robots mainly rely on external electromagnetic, leading to a substantial energy consumption due to the requirement of a large external magnetic field. Moreover, the precise control of these soft robots relies on electric current, making them highly susceptible to disturbances and deviations induced by minute variations in the current. To overcome these challenges, we propose and evaluate a novel approach employing a miniature walking soft robot empowered by its internal electromagnets. The overall robot size is 18 mm × 6 mm × 12 mm (length × height× width). This design enables the robot to achieve precise and stable motion using a 240-mA current with a 6V low voltage. In addition, the incorporation of specially designed sheet-leg mechanism with varying degrees of friction facilitates the transformation of linear motion into an effective forward gait. This paper outlines the principles and control strategies of the robot, illustrates the robot fabrication process, at the same time verifies the structural integrity through experimental validation. Further evaluations include comprehensive analysis of the robot’s gait and speed. The results show that the robot attains a speed of 2.86mm/s. This study marks a stride towards the realization of a fully autonomous, unrestrained, cost-effective, and energy-conserving magnetic soft robot.

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“…Autonomous micro-actuators [ 1 ] have attracted the fascination of many researchers over the last few years for possible applications in the future. Micro-devices that can swim in various media [ 2 , 3 , 4 ], jump [ 5 ], crawl [ 6 , 7 ], or roll [ 8 , 9 ] on hard surfaces upon an adapted external stimulus spring from the imaginations of scientists for a world where injuries and diseases could be healed [ 10 , 11 ], oceans depolluted, or electric circuits could be even smaller. The inspiration for the larger part of the publications comes from nature itself reproducing the crawling of worms, opening of flowers [ 12 , 13 ], swimming of fishes, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smart Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymers for Micromachining Advances

et al. 2023

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The miniaturization of tools is an important step in human evolution to create faster devices as well as precise micromachines. Studies around this topic have allowed the creation of small-scale objects capable of a wide range of deformation to achieve complex tasks. Molecular arrangements have been investigated through liquid crystal polymer (LCP) to program such a movement. Smart polymers and hereby liquid crystal matrices are materials of interest for their easy structuration properties and their response to external stimuli. However, up until very recently, their employment at the microscale was mainly limited to 2D structuration. Among the numerous issues, one concerns the ability to 3D structure the material while controlling the molecular orientation during the polymerization process. This review aims to report recent efforts focused on the microstructuration of LCP, in particular those dealing with 3D microfabrication via two-photon polymerization (TPP). Indeed, the latter has revolutionized the production of 3D complex micro-objects and is nowadays recognized as the gold standard for 3D micro-printing. After a short introduction highlighting the interest in micromachines, some basic principles of liquid crystals are recalled from the molecular aspect to their implementation. Finally, the possibilities offered by TPP as well as the way to monitor the motion into the fabricated microrobots are highlighted.

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3D printing of liquid crystal elastomers-based actuator for an inchworm-inspired crawling soft robot

Cited by 7 publications

References 38 publications

Biomimetic Actuator Based on the Evasion Behavior of Pillbugs in Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Biomimetic Actuator Based on the Evasion Behavior of Pillbugs in Liquid Crystal Elastomers

A walking soft robot driven by electromagnetism inside the body

Smart Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymers for Micromachining Advances

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