Zhang Wenjie, Zhang Shengyuan, Tang Jingda
State Key Lab for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
J Mater Chem B. 2025 Jul 16;13(28):8558-8567. doi: 10.1039/d5tb00811e.
Magnetic soft robots have shown great potential in biomedical engineering due to their non-contact actuation and rapid response. For intelligent control of magnetic soft robots, the integration of driving and sensing capability is crucial but still remains challenging. Previous studies on self-sensing magnetic actuators have always utilized multi-layer structures, which introduce issues of interfacial adhesion and complex fabrication. Here, we have developed a single-layer magnetic soft actuator with self-sensing capability. The actuator is fabricated using a functional composite with graphene and magnetic particles embedded in an elastomer matrix. Magnetic particles enable actuation, while graphene enables electrical sensing. We have quantified the sensing performance of the functional composite and demonstrated its capability to monitor motions of a human joint and robotic arm. Utilizing the photothermal conversion of graphene, we further designed self-feedback systems with integration of driving and sensing capabilities. The self-feedback system can be used as an electronic switch responding to environmental changes and used as a protection system similar to the reflex of human fingers. This work may provide a facile strategy for intelligent and autonomous control of magnetic soft robots.
磁性软机器人由于其非接触驱动和快速响应，在生物医学工程中展现出了巨大潜力。对于磁性软机器人的智能控制而言，驱动与传感能力的集成至关重要，但仍具挑战性。先前关于自感应磁致动器的研究一直采用多层结构，这带来了界面粘附和复杂制造等问题。在此，我们开发了一种具有自感应能力的单层磁性软致动器。该致动器是通过将石墨烯和磁性颗粒嵌入弹性体基质的功能复合材料制成的。磁性颗粒实现驱动，而石墨烯实现电传感。我们已经量化了功能复合材料的传感性能，并展示了其监测人体关节和机器人手臂运动的能力。利用石墨烯的光热转换，我们进一步设计了具有驱动和传感能力集成的自反馈系统。该自反馈系统可用作响应环境变化的电子开关，并用作类似于人类手指反射的保护系统。这项工作可能为磁性软机器人的智能自主控制提供一种简便策略。
