Soft Materials Lab, Linz Institute of Technology, Johannes Kepler University, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040, Linz, Austria.
Division of Soft Matter Physics, Institute for Experimental Physics, Johannes Kepler University, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040, Linz, Austria.
Nat Commun. 2022 Aug 9;13(1):4456. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-32123-4.
High-speed locomotion is an essential survival strategy for animals, allowing populating harsh and unpredictable environments. Bio-inspired soft robots equally benefit from versatile and ultrafast motion but require appropriate driving mechanisms and device designs. Here, we present a class of small-scale soft electromagnetic robots made of curved elastomeric bilayers, driven by Lorentz forces acting on embedded printed liquid metal channels carrying alternating currents with driving voltages of several volts in a static magnetic field. Their dynamic resonant performance is investigated experimentally and theoretically. These robust and versatile robots can walk, run, swim, jump, steer and transport cargo. Their tethered versions reach ultra-high running speeds of 70 BL/s (body lengths per second) on 3D-corrugated substrates and 35 BL/s on arbitrary planar substrates while their maximum swimming speed is 4.8 BL/s in water. Moreover, prototype untethered versions run and swim at a maximum speed of 2.1 BL/s and 1.8 BL/s, respectively.
高速运动是动物生存的重要策略，使它们能够在恶劣和不可预测的环境中繁衍生息。受生物启发的软体机器人同样受益于多样化和超快的运动，但需要适当的驱动机制和设备设计。在这里，我们提出了一类由弯曲的弹性双层组成的小型软电磁机器人，通过嵌入的印刷液态金属通道中的洛伦兹力驱动，这些通道在静态磁场中带有几伏的驱动电压的交流电。我们对它们的动态共振性能进行了实验和理论研究。这些坚固且多功能的机器人可以行走、奔跑、游泳、跳跃、转向和运输货物。它们的有绳版本在 3D 波纹衬底上达到了超高的运行速度 70 BL/s（每秒体长），在任意平面衬底上达到了 35 BL/s，而它们在水中的最大游泳速度为 4.8 BL/s。此外，原型无绳版本的最高运行和游泳速度分别为 2.1 BL/s 和 1.8 BL/s。
