A Shift from Efficiency to Adaptability: Recent Progress in Biomimetic Interactive Soft Robotics in Wet Environments

Abstract

Research field of soft robotics develops exponentially since it opens up many imaginations, such as human-interactive robot, wearable robots, and transformable robots in unpredictable environments. Wet environments such as sea and in vivo represent dynamic and unstructured environments that adaptive soft robots can reach their potentials. Recent progresses in soft hybridized robotics performing tasks underwater herald a diversity of interactive soft robotics in wet environments. Here, the development of soft robots in wet environments is reviewed. The authors recapitulate biomimetic inspirations, recent advances in soft matter materials, representative fabrication techniques, system integration, and exemplary functions for underwater soft robots. The authors consider the key challenges the field faces in engineering material, software, and hardware that can bring highly intelligent soft robots into real world.

Mechanical tough and multicolor aggregation-induced emissive polymeric hydrogels for fluorescent patterning

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] These advantages make FPHs potentially applicable for wide applications ranging from bioimaging and sensing 7,8 to information encryption [9][10][11] and soft robotics. [12][13][14][15] The past two decades have witnessed the development of numerous FPHs on the basis of organic fluorophores, [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] luminescent metal complexes [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] and nanoparticles. [33][34][35][36] Among them, aggregation-induced emissive fluorogens (AIEgens) are attracting increasing research attention, [37][38][39][40] because hydrophobic AIE-gens tend to self-assemble into highly luminescent aggregates in hydrophilic hydrogel matrix , which is guaranteed to produce FPHs with intense fluorescence.…”

Printable multi-stage variable stiffness material enabled by low melting point particle additives

“…8,9 Currently, the variable stiffness approach is divided into two categories. One approach is the formation of antagonism between structures that are affected by antagonism forces greatly, popular with granular jamming, 10,11 layer jamming, 12,13 and the antagonistic actuation scheme. 14 Another one is the change in elastic modulus of materials that include thermoplastic polymers (TPs), 15 low melting point alloys (LMPAs), 16 liquid metals, 17,18 electrorheological (ER) materials, 19 magnetorheological (MR) materials, 20 etc.…”

Multi-responsive and programmable actuators made with nacre-inspired graphene oxide-bacterial cellulose film

“…electrical, photo, and thermal) into mechanical energy and show macroscopic 2D or 3D shape changes. [1][2][3][4][5] The physical stimuli can be electric, [6][7][8] light, 9 heat, 10 pressure, 11 and magnetism. 12 The chemical stimuli can be pH, 13 water vapor, 14,15 and other solvent vapor.…”