Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamber

Abstract Light is increasingly being used to drive soft robots and soft actuators. In this paper, a light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas-liquid phase transition chamber is proposed, which inspired by the frog and the larvae of gall midges. When a light source with a pow...

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Main Authors: Zheqi Zhou, Kejian Chen, Yang Shen, Yifan Zhu, Qian Wang, Xiaofen Zeng, Yuke Qin, Songlin Zhuang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03247-6
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author Zheqi Zhou
Kejian Chen
Yang Shen
Yifan Zhu
Qian Wang
Xiaofen Zeng
Yuke Qin
Songlin Zhuang
author_facet Zheqi Zhou
Kejian Chen
Yang Shen
Yifan Zhu
Qian Wang
Xiaofen Zeng
Yuke Qin
Songlin Zhuang
author_sort Zheqi Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Light is increasingly being used to drive soft robots and soft actuators. In this paper, a light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas-liquid phase transition chamber is proposed, which inspired by the frog and the larvae of gall midges. When a light source with a power density of about 1.25 W/cm2 is illuminated on the upper surface of the auxiliary pneumatic chamber, the previously non-existent main pneumatic chamber can be expanded quickly within less than 3 s, and generate enormous thrust. This allows the soft robot (length: 3 cm; width: 0.7 cm; weight: 0.36 g) to quickly release from the magnet attractive field and perform a jump with a height of 50.8 cm in less than 1 s, approximately 16 times the body length of the entire soft robot. The proposed soft robot can also be combined with a photothermal bending film to achieve directional crawling. At the same time, by fixing the foot of the soft robot on the base and using light irradiate it, an object weighing about 5 times the overall weight can be ejected to a horizontal distance of 16.9 cm. This untethered pneumatic soft robot has broad prospects in soft jumping robots and wireless actuators, and the proposed pneumatic triggered chamber can also be further applied to other application fields.
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spelling doaj-art-09950d8a607c4b8e8bd79a69554cc66a2025-08-20T03:08:25ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-03247-6Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamberZheqi Zhou0Kejian Chen1Yang Shen2Yifan Zhu3Qian Wang4Xiaofen Zeng5Yuke Qin6Songlin Zhuang7School of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologySchool of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologySchool of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologySchool of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologySchool of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologySchool of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologySchool of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologySchool of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shanghai Key Lab of Modern Optical System, EngineeringResearch Center of Optical Instrument and System, Ministry of Education, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologyAbstract Light is increasingly being used to drive soft robots and soft actuators. In this paper, a light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas-liquid phase transition chamber is proposed, which inspired by the frog and the larvae of gall midges. When a light source with a power density of about 1.25 W/cm2 is illuminated on the upper surface of the auxiliary pneumatic chamber, the previously non-existent main pneumatic chamber can be expanded quickly within less than 3 s, and generate enormous thrust. This allows the soft robot (length: 3 cm; width: 0.7 cm; weight: 0.36 g) to quickly release from the magnet attractive field and perform a jump with a height of 50.8 cm in less than 1 s, approximately 16 times the body length of the entire soft robot. The proposed soft robot can also be combined with a photothermal bending film to achieve directional crawling. At the same time, by fixing the foot of the soft robot on the base and using light irradiate it, an object weighing about 5 times the overall weight can be ejected to a horizontal distance of 16.9 cm. This untethered pneumatic soft robot has broad prospects in soft jumping robots and wireless actuators, and the proposed pneumatic triggered chamber can also be further applied to other application fields.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03247-6
spellingShingle Zheqi Zhou
Kejian Chen
Yang Shen
Yifan Zhu
Qian Wang
Xiaofen Zeng
Yuke Qin
Songlin Zhuang
Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamber
Scientific Reports
title Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamber
title_full Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamber
title_fullStr Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamber
title_full_unstemmed Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamber
title_short Light-driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas–liquid phase transition chamber
title_sort light driven soft robot with compound motion patterns based on gas liquid phase transition chamber
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03247-6
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