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Photothermal actuation of a fluidic soft muscle

ORAL

Abstract

Despite innovations in materials and fabrication schemes that have enabled impressive soft robotic structures and devices, most soft robots remain tethered to cumbersome power sources (e.g., compressed gas) and/or require unwieldy valving. Developing soft robots capable of untethered actuation and remote control requires new methods of actuation. Compared to conventional power and control, visible light offers several advantages—including wireless remote control, spatial (~200 nm) and temporal (~ms) precision, and tunability (e.g., wavelength, intensity). Here, we exploit a novel class of photoswitches, donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs), for the remote actuation of soft muscles. Guided by studies of DASA’s unique photoswitching and photothermal properties, we achieve the remote actuation of a soft muscle via controlled photothermal phase changes without valves or internal controls. Further, we demonstrate the force output of this muscle and its promise for actuation in multi-scale soft robots.

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Presenters

  • Luke Gockowski

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

Authors

  • Luke Gockowski

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Serena Seshadri

    Department of Chemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Jaejun Lee

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Chemistry, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Miranda Sroda

    Department of Chemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Matthew Helgeson

    Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Javier Read de Alaniz

    Department of Chemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Elliot W. Hawkes

    Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Mechanical Engineering, UC Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Megan Valentine

    University of California, Santa Barbara, Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara