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A Millimeter‐Scale Snail Robot Based on a Light‐Powered Liquid Crystal Elastomer Continuous Actuator
Author(s) -
Rogóż Mikołaj,
Dradrach Klaudia,
Xuan Chen,
Wasylczyk Piotr
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201900279
Subject(s) - crawling , elastomer , soft robotics , millimeter , robot , actuator , materials science , deformation (meteorology) , nanotechnology , biomimetics , liquid crystal , mechanical engineering , biological system , computer science , engineering , composite material , artificial intelligence , optoelectronics , optics , physics , biology , anatomy
Crawling by means of the traveling deformation of a soft body is a widespread mode of locomotion in nature—animals across scales, from microscopic nematodes to earthworms to gastropods, use it to move around challenging terrestrial environments. Snails, in particular, use mucus—a slippery, aqueous secretion—to enhance the interaction between their ventral foot and the contact surface. In this study, a millimeter‐scale soft crawling robot is demonstrated that uses a similar mechanism to move efficiently in a variety of configurations: on horizontal, vertical, as well as upside‐down surfaces; on smooth and rough surfaces; and through obstacles comparable in size to its dimensions. The traveling deformation of the robot soft body is generated via a local light‐induced phase transition in a liquid crystal elastomer and resembles the pedal waves of terrestrial gastropods. This work offers a new approach to micro‐engineering with smart materials as well as a tool to better understand this mode of locomotion in nature.