Stimuli-responsive functional materials for soft robotics

Shen, Zequn; Chen, Feifei; Zhu, Xiangyang; Yong, Ken‐Tye; Gu, Guoying

doi:10.1039/d0tb01585g

Cited by 168 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 160 publications

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“…A variety of futuristic applications of stimuli-responsive soft robots have been proposed in the forms of flexible electronics, sensors, biomedical tools, optics, and actuators [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][24][25][26]. Furthermore, hybrid stimuli-responsive soft robots combined with multi-functional nanoparticles, low-dimensional materials, or liquid crystals have also displayed promising applications in flexible electronics, mechanical sensors, smart actuators, and biomedical systems [18][19][20][21][23][24][25][26][27][28]. This section particularly describes advanced applications of hybrid stimuli-responsive soft robots focusing on extensively multi-responsive and multi-functional actuators (e.g., manipulators, grippers, and walkers) and sensors (e.g., wearable electronics, strain sensors, biosensors, and gas sensors).…”

Section: Applications Of Hybrid Soft Robotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Stimuli-Responsive Soft Robots with Integrated Hybrid Materials

Son

Yoon

2020

Actuators

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Hybrid stimuli-responsive soft robots have been extensively developed by incorporating multi-functional materials, such as carbon-based nanoparticles, nanowires, low-dimensional materials, and liquid crystals. In addition to the general functions of conventional soft robots, hybrid stimuli-responsive soft robots have displayed significantly advanced multi-mechanical, electrical, or/and optical properties accompanied with smart shape transformation in response to external stimuli, such as heat, light, and even biomaterials. This review surveys the current enhanced scientific methods to synthesize the integration of multi-functional materials within stimuli-responsive soft robots. Furthermore, this review focuses on the applications of hybrid stimuli-responsive soft robots in the forms of actuators and sensors that display multi-responsive and highly sensitive properties. Finally, it highlights the current challenges of stimuli-responsive soft robots and suggests perspectives on future directions for achieving intelligent hybrid stimuli-responsive soft robots applicable in real environments.

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Section: Applications Of Hybrid Soft Robotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Stimuli-Responsive Soft Robots with Integrated Hybrid Materials

Son

Yoon

2020

Actuators

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“…14 The use of probes with variable mechanical impedance has been found to improve lumps and tumor detection, 15 and the importance of sensory-motor coordination has also been shown across a number of medical applications. [16][17][18] One of the key enabling technologies to improve robotic palpation capabilities is tactile sensing, 19 which has led to the in-depth study of the use of tactile sensors for tumor localization. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Robotics research has also attempted the development of technologies for medical teleoperation [27][28][29][30] and medical training, such as haptic palpation training systems, [31][32][33][34] and virtual reality training systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Action Augmentation of Tactile Perception for Soft-Body Palpation

et al. 2022

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Medical palpation is a diagnostic technique in which physicians use the sense of touch to manipulate the soft human tissue. This can be done to enable the diagnosis of possibly life-threatening conditions, such as cancer. Palpation is still poorly understood because of the complex interaction dynamics between the practitioners' hands and the soft human body. To understand this complex of soft body interactions, we explore robotic palpation for the purpose of diagnosing the presence of abnormal inclusions, or tumors. Using a Bayesian framework for training and classification, we show that the exploration of soft bodies requires complex, multi-axis, palpation trajectories. We also find that this probabilistic approach is capable of rapidly searching the large action space of the robot. This work progresses ''robotic'' palpation, and it provides frameworks for understanding and exploiting soft body interactions.

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“…In recent decades, many new materials and polymers have been developed that respond to various stimuli. [1][2][3] A controlled chemical reaction, [4] modification of polymer properties by changing the temperature, [5] the pH, [6] the absorption of electromagnetic radiation [7] or the action of mechanical, [8] magnetic, [9] or electrical forces [10] have been described in the literature. More specifically, thermoresponsive polymers change their properties by changing temperature beyond critical transition temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ABA Type Amphiphiles with Poly(2‐benzhydryl‐2‐oxazine) Moieties: Synthesis, Characterization and Inverse Thermogelation

Hahn¹,

Keßler

Polzin³

et al. 2021

Macro Chemistry & Physics

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Thermoresponsive polymers are frequently involved in the development of materials for various applications. Here, polymers containing poly(2benzhydryl-2-oxazine) (pBhOzi) repeating units are described for the first time. The homopolymer pBhOzi and an ABA type amphiphile comprising two flanking hydrophilic A blocks of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (pMeOx) and the hydrophobic aromatic pBhOzi central B block (pMeOx-b-pBhOzi-b-pMeOx) are synthesized and the latter is shown to exhibit inverse thermogelling properties at concentrations of 20 wt.% in water. This behavior stands in contrast to a homologue ABA amphiphile consisting of a central poly(2-benzhydryl-2-oxazoline) block (pMeOx-b-pBhOx-b-pMeOx). No inverse thermogelling is observed with this polymer even at 25 wt.%. For 25 wt.% pMeOx-b-pBhOzi-b-pMeOx, a surprisingly high storage modulus of ≈22 kPa and high values for the yield and flow points of 480 Pa and 1.3 kPa are obtained. Exceeding the yield point, pronounced shear thinning is observed. Interestingly, only little difference between self-assemblies of pMeOx-b-pBhOzi-b-pMeOx and pMeOx-b-pBhOx-b-pMeOx is observed by dynamic light scattering while transmission electron microscopy images suggest that the micelles of pMeOx-b-pBhOzi-b-pMeOx interact through their hydrophilic coronas, which is probably decisive for the gel formation. Overall, this study introduces new building blocks for poly(2-oxazoline) and poly(2-oxazine)-based self-assemblies, but additional studies will be needed to unravel the exact mechanism.

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Stimuli-responsive functional materials for soft robotics

Abstract: Functional materials have spurred the advancement of soft robotics with the potential to perform safe interactions and adaptative functions in unstructured environments. The responses of functional materials under external stimuli...

Cited by 168 publications

References 160 publications

Advances in Stimuli-Responsive Soft Robots with Integrated Hybrid Materials

Advances in Stimuli-Responsive Soft Robots with Integrated Hybrid Materials

Action Augmentation of Tactile Perception for Soft-Body Palpation

ABA Type Amphiphiles with Poly(2‐benzhydryl‐2‐oxazine) Moieties: Synthesis, Characterization and Inverse Thermogelation

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