A powerful dual-responsive soft actuator and photo-to-electric generator based on graphene micro-gasbags for bioinspired applications

Yang, Lulu; Qi, Ke; Chang, Longfei; Ao, Xu; Hu, Ying; Zhai, Hua; Lü, Ping

doi:10.1039/c8tb01222a

Cited by 45 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…These studies have laid an important foundation for the application of optical actuators in the intelligent soft robotic field. Moreover, scientists have combined the unique features of the aforementioned types of the stimulations (e.g., light, humidity, and electricity) and designed multistimuli–responsive flexible actuators, further enhancing the performance and enriching the application range of flexible actuators on humans . For soft robotic systems on nonhumans, electrical actuators and pneumatic actuators have been widely investigated by researchers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible Actuators for Soft Robotics

Yang

et al. 2019

Advanced Intelligent Systems

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Rigid robots have taken on a variety of automated manufacturing tasks and have made a huge contribution to industrial development; however, they are not suitable for further wearable applications due to their rigid and bulky structure, poor environmental adaptability, and low safety. Soft robots, which are mainly fabricated with flexible or elastomeric materials, can easily adjust to environmental changes and accomplish complex tasks, offering a new paradigm to achieve human-machine compliance. Soft robots do not replace rigid robots but add diverse features for softer robotic applications. In particular, the use of flexible actuators in robotic systems can realize certain intelligent functions, enrich soft robotic systems and migrate academic research to engineering applications. Currently, the application of flexible actuators in soft robotic fields is still at the embryonic stage. However, tremendous application spaces can be envisaged when combining flexible actuators with soft wearable robotics. Therefore, the current flexible actuators that rely on different external stimuli are addressed herein, and their materials, designs, and approaches suitable for soft robotic applications are highlighted. The application advancement and future perspective of flexible actuator prototypes toward various soft robotics are also discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible Actuators for Soft Robotics

Yang

et al. 2019

Advanced Intelligent Systems

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“…Also, traditional carbon-based material graphite has become a popular actuator component due to its excellent optical, thermal, electrical and mechanical properties. It is able to convert light into heat effectively because it can strongly absorb a wide range of light from ultraviolet to near infrared (NIR) wavelengths [32][33][34][35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smart Devices Based on the Soft Actuator with Nafion-Polypropylene-PDMS/Graphite Multilayer Structure

Wei

Zhang

et al. 2020

Applied Sciences

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Featured Application: This stimulus-driven, fast-response and large-scale deformation flexible actuator provides a new alternative for bionic application, artificial skin, and soft sensor development. Abstract:The demand for multi-functional soft actuators with simple fabrication and fast response to multiple stimuli is increasing in the field of smart devices. However, for existing actuators that respond to a single stimulus, it is difficult to meet the requirements of application diversity. Herein, a type of multi-stimulus responsive soft actuator based on the Nafion-Polypropylene-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/Graphite multilayer membranes is proposed. Such actuators have an excellent reversible response to optical/thermal and humidity stimulation, which can reach a 224.56 • bending angle in a relative humidity of 95% within 5 s and a maximum bending angle of 324.65 • in 31 s when the platform temperature is 80 • C, and has a faster response (<0.5 s) to optical stimuli, as an asymmetric structure allows it to bend in both directions. Based on such an actuator, some applications like flexible grippers and switches to carry items or control circuits, bionic flytraps to capture and release "prey", have also been developed and studied. These provide potential applications in the fields of soft sensors, artificial skin and flexible robots.

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“…Soft actuators, also referred to as artificial muscle, are fabricated to directly convert external stimulus into mechanical energy output and can be applied to the promising application fields including soft robotics, smart biomimetic devices, biomedical sensing and diagnosis, and wearable electronics . Aiming at developing the biomimetic applications, one of the important challenges is the how to construct soft actuators with complex deformation by utilizing commonly cheap materials and simple configuration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multifunctional Soft Actuators Based on Anisotropic Paper/Polymer Bilayer Toward Bioinspired Applications

Liu

et al. 2019

Adv Materials Technologies

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Designing artificial muscle actuators with diversely complex deformation and multifunction is crucial to the soft robots and their bioinspired applications. Herein, by combing the hygroexpansion and thermal expansion commonly existed in nature, electrically driven paper‐based bilayer actuator is fabricated by a simple printing method. This actuator exhibits large (270°) and anisotropic deformation coupled with features of low‐cost, superior stability, and additional reversible color‐change function. More importantly, the tailoring and heat setting are used to further design the actuator shape, thus obtain multiform deformation (bending, elongation, and folding), and more complicated deformation similar to the arm motion. Based on these actuators, variously bioinspired motions can be constructed. Inspired by the structure of the crystalline lens and ciliary muscle in human eyeball, a biomimetic lens which can change the focal length under electrical stimulation is fabricated. Moreover, W‐shaped robotic arm for manipulating microliquid in 3D direction and catapulting the object into air, in‐pipe spiral robotic arm for pushing objects out of the pipe, and artificial snake capable of deformation and color‐change simultaneously, are also fabricated. This paper‐based actuator together with bioinspired design may open new perspective on the multifunctional smart robots and biomimetic devices.

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A powerful dual-responsive soft actuator and photo-to-electric generator based on graphene micro-gasbags for bioinspired applications

Abstract: High-performance dual-responsive soft actuators with internal graphene micro-gasbags are fabricated and used to realize diverse biomimetic motions.

Cited by 45 publications

References 50 publications

Flexible Actuators for Soft Robotics

Flexible Actuators for Soft Robotics

Smart Devices Based on the Soft Actuator with Nafion-Polypropylene-PDMS/Graphite Multilayer Structure

Multifunctional Soft Actuators Based on Anisotropic Paper/Polymer Bilayer Toward Bioinspired Applications

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