Plant-inspired adaptive structures and materials for morphing and actuation: a review

Li, Suyi; Wang, K W

doi:10.1088/1748-3190/12/1/011001

Cited by 98 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 124 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These motions are central to plants' survival and fitness, and they vary drastically in terms of their actuation and control principle, physiological origin, magnitude, and speed. Some plant motions are reversible so they can serve as blueprints for engineering adaptive structures and robots (Forterre, 2013;Guo et al, 2015;Charpentier et al, 2017;Li and Wang, 2017). For example, the trap closing motion in Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is rapid enough to capture agile insect prey like the fruit flies, which are then digested as nutrition supplement (Forterre et al, 2005;Skotheim and Mahadevan, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pneumatic Coiling Actuator Inspired by the Awns of Erodium cicutarium

Geer

Iannucci

2020

Front. Robot. AI

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines the coiling and uncoiling motions of a soft pneumatic actuator inspired by the awn tissue of Erodium cicutarium. These tissues have embedded cellulose fibers distributed in a tilted helical pattern, which induces hygroscopic coiling and uncoiling in response to the daily changes in ambient humidity. Such sophisticated motions can eventually "drill" the seed at the tip of awn tissue into the soil: a drill bit in the plant kingdom. Through finite element simulation and experimental testing, this study examines a soft pneumatic actuator that has a similar reinforcing fiber layout to the Erodium plant tissue. This actuator, in essence, is a thin-walled elastomeric cylinder covered by tilted helical Kevlar fibers. Upon internal pressurization, it can exhibit a coiling motion by a combination of simultaneous twisting, bending, and extension. Parametric analyses show that the coiling motion characteristics are directly related to the geometry of tilted helical fibers. Notably, a moderate tilt in the reinforcing helical fiber leads to many coils of small radius, while a significant tilt gives fewer coils of larger radius. The results of this study can offer guidelines for constructing plant-inspired robotic manipulators that can achieve complicated motions with simple designs.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pneumatic Coiling Actuator Inspired by the Awns of Erodium cicutarium

Geer

Iannucci

2020

Front. Robot. AI

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hence, there is a need for structures to be stiff and flexible at the same time. A remedy is provided by plant-inspired adaptive structures that combine the advantages of fluidic actuators and compliant mechanisms [8]. Pneumatic and hydraulic actuators are characterized by high power density, large stroke, and high positioning accuracy compared to alternative actuator technologies [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Testing of Woven FRP Flexure Hinges for Pressure-Actuated Cellular Structures with Regard to Morphing Wing Applications

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Shape-variable structures can change their geometry in a targeted way and thus adapt their outer shape to different operating conditions. The potential applications in aviation are manifold and far-reaching. The substitution of conventional flaps in high-lift systems or even the deformation of entire wing profiles is conceivable. All morphing approaches have to deal with the same challenge: A conflict between minimizing actuating forces on the one hand, and maximizing structural deflections and resistance to external forces on the other. A promising concept of shape variability to face this challenging conflict is found in biology. Pressure-actuated cellular structures (PACS) are based on the movement of nastic plants. Firstly, a brief review of the holistic design approach of PACS is presented. The aim of the following study is to investigate manufacturing possibilities for woven flexure hinges in closed cellular structures. Weaving trials are first performed on the material level and finally on a five-cell PACS cantilever. The overall feasibility of woven fiber reinforced plastics (FRP)-PACS is proven. However, the results show that the materials selection in the weaving process substantially influences the mechanical behavior of flexure hinges. Thus, the optimization of manufacturing parameters is a key factor for the realization of woven FRP-PACS.

show abstract

“…7,8 However, most conventional bio-inspired systems mimic only simple structural motions by using nonconductive hydrogels. [9][10][11][12] To enhance the electrical functionality of stimulus-responsive hydrogels, conducting materials such as fillers, graphene and polymers can be incorporated into hydrogels. [13][14][15][16][17][18] For instance, conductive polymer (CP) hydrogels contain conjugated conductive backbones to promote charge transport and exhibit semiconducting electrical properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nature-inspired thermo-responsive multifunctional membrane adaptively hybridized with PNIPAm and PPy

Kim

Lee

2017

NPG Asia Mater

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Specialized plant tissues, such as the epidermis of a leaf covered with stomata, consist of soft materials with deformability and electrochemical properties to achieve specific functions in response to various environmental stimuli. Stimulus-responsive hydrogels with electrochemical properties are good candidates for imitating such special functionalities in nature and thus have great potential in a wide range of academic and industrial applications. However, hydrogel-incorporated conductive materials are usually mechanically rigid, which limits their application in other fields. In addition, the fabrication technology of structured functional hydrogels has low reproducibility due to the required multistep processing. Here, inspired by nature, specifically the stimulus-responsive functionalities of plants, a new thermo-responsive multifunctional hybrid membrane (HM) is synthesized through the in situ hybridization of conductive poly(pyrrole) (PPy) on a photopolymerized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) matrix. The morphological and electrical properties of the fabricated HM are investigated to characterize various aspects of its multiple functions. In terms of morphology, the HM can be easily fabricated into various structures by smartly utilizing photopolymerization patterning, and it exhibits thermo-responsive deformability. In terms of functionality, it exhibits various electrical and charge responses to thermal stimuli. This simple and efficient fabrication method can be used as a promising platform for fabricating a variety of functional devices.

show abstract

Plant-inspired adaptive structures and materials for morphing and actuation: a review

Cited by 98 publications

References 124 publications

Pneumatic Coiling Actuator Inspired by the Awns of Erodium cicutarium

Pneumatic Coiling Actuator Inspired by the Awns of Erodium cicutarium

Development and Testing of Woven FRP Flexure Hinges for Pressure-Actuated Cellular Structures with Regard to Morphing Wing Applications

Nature-inspired thermo-responsive multifunctional membrane adaptively hybridized with PNIPAm and PPy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About