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Self-protection soft fluidic robots with rapid large-area self-healing capabilities.

Wei TangYiding ZhongHuxiu XuKecheng QinXinyu GuoYu HuPingan ZhuYang QuDong YanZhaoyang LiZhongdong JiaoXujun FanHuayong YangJun Zou
Published in: Nature communications (2023)
Soft fluidic robots have attracted a lot of attention and have broad application prospects. However, poor fluidic power source and easy to damage have been hindering their development, while the lack of intelligent self-protection also brings inconvenience to their applications. Here, we design diversified self-protection soft fluidic robots that integrate soft electrohydrodynamic pumps, actuators, healing electrofluids, and E-skins. We develop high-performance soft electrohydrodynamic pumps, enabling high-speed actuation and large deformation of untethered soft fluidic robots. A healing electrofluid that can form a self-healed film with excellent stretchability and strong adhesion is synthesized, which can achieve rapid and large-areas-damage self-healing of soft materials. We propose multi-functional E-skins to endow robots intelligence, making robots realize a series of self-protection behaviors. Moreover, our robots allow their functionality to be enhanced by the combination of electrodes or actuators. This design strategy enables soft fluidic robots to achieve their high-speed actuation and intelligent self-protection, opening a door for soft robots with physical intelligence.
Keyphrases
  • high speed
  • atomic force microscopy
  • oxidative stress
  • high resolution
  • staphylococcus aureus
  • pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • ionic liquid