Lyu Pengrong, Broer Dirk J, Liu Danqing
Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Nat Commun. 2024 May 17;15(1):4191. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48353-7.
Achieving adaptive behavior in artificial systems, analogous to living organisms, has been a long-standing goal in electronics and materials science. Efforts to integrate adaptive capabilities into synthetic electronics traditionally involved a typical architecture comprising of sensors, an external controller, and actuators constructed from multiple materials. However, challenges arise when attempting to unite these three components into a single entity capable of independently coping with dynamic environments. Here, we unveil an adaptive electronic unit based on a liquid crystal polymer that seamlessly incorporates sensing, signal processing, and actuating functionalities. The polymer forms a film that undergoes anisotropic deformations when exposed to a minor heat pulse generated by human touch. We integrate this property into an electric circuit to facilitate switching. We showcase the concept by creating an interactive system that features distributed information processing including feedback loops and enabling cascading signal transmission across multiple adaptive units. This system responds progressively, in a multi-layered cascade to a dynamic change in its environment. The incorporation of adaptive capabilities into a single piece of responsive material holds immense potential for expediting progress in next-generation flexible electronics, soft robotics, and swarm intelligence.
在人工系统中实现类似于生物的适应性行为，一直是电子学和材料科学领域长期追求的目标。传统上，将自适应能力集成到合成电子器件中的努力涉及一种典型架构，该架构由传感器、外部控制器以及由多种材料制成的致动器组成。然而，当试图将这三个组件整合为一个能够独立应对动态环境的单一实体时，就会出现挑战。在此，我们展示了一种基于液晶聚合物的自适应电子单元，它无缝集成了传感、信号处理和致动功能。该聚合物形成一种薄膜，当暴露于人体触摸产生的微小热脉冲时会发生各向异性变形。我们将这一特性集成到电路中以实现开关功能。我们通过创建一个交互式系统来展示这一概念，该系统具有分布式信息处理功能，包括反馈回路，并能够在多个自适应单元之间进行级联信号传输。该系统以多层级联的方式对其环境中的动态变化做出渐进响应。将自适应能力整合到单一的响应材料中，对于加速下一代柔性电子学、软机器人技术和群体智能的发展具有巨大潜力。
