A modular strategy for distributed, embodied control of electronics-free soft robots.

ABSTRACT: Robots typically interact with their environments via feedback loops consisting of electronic sensors, microcontrollers, and actuators, which can be bulky and complex. Researchers have sought new strategies for achieving autonomous sensing and control in next-generation soft robots. We describe here an electronics-free approach for autonomous control of soft robots, whose compositional and structural features embody the sensing, control, and actuation feedback loop of their soft bodies. Specifically, we design multiple modular control units that are regulated by responsive materials such as liquid crystal elastomers. These modules enable the robot to sense and respond to different external stimuli (light, heat, and solvents), causing autonomous changes to the robot's trajectory. By combini

SUBMITTER: He Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10328409 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature