Resilient yet entirely degradable gelatin-based biogels for soft robots and electronics.

Biodegradable and biocompatible elastic materials for soft robotics, tissue engineering or stretchable electronics with good mechanical properties, tunability, modifiability or healing properties drive technological advance, and yet they are not durable under ambient conditions and do not combine all the attributes in a single platform. We have developed a versatile gelatin-based biogel, which is highly resilient with outstanding elastic characteristics, yet degrades fully when disposed. It self-adheres, is rapidly healable and derived entirely from natural and food-safe constituents. We merge all the favourable attributes in one material that is easy to reproduce and scalable, and has a low-cost production under ambient conditions. This biogel is a step towards durable, life-like soft robotic and electronic systems that are sustainable and closely mimic their natural antetypes.

Ultrafast small-scale soft electromagnetic robots.

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.

iSens: A Fiber-Based, Highly Permeable and Imperceptible Sensor Design.

Embedded sensors are key to optimizing processes and products; they collect data that allow time, energy, and materials to be saved, thereby reducing costs. After production, they remain in place and are used to monitor the long-term structural health of buildings or aircraft. Fueled by climate change, sustainable construction materials such as wood and fiber composites are gaining importance. Current sensors are not optimized for use with these materials and often act as defects that cause catastrophic failures. Here, flexible, highly permeable, and imperceptible sensors (iSens) are introduced that integrate seamlessly into a component. Their porous substrates are readily infused with adhesives and withstand harsh conditions. In situ resistive temperature measurements and capacitive sensing allows monitoring of adhesives curing as used in wooden structures and fiber composites. The devices also act as heating elements to reduce the hardening time of the glue. Results are analyzed using numerical simulations and theoretical analysis. The suggested iSens technology is widely applicable and represents a step towards realizing the Internet of Things for construction materials.

Soft electromagnetic actuators.

Rigid electromagnetic actuators serve our society in a myriad of ways for more than 200 years. However, their bulky nature restricts close collaboration with humans. Here, we introduce soft electromagnetic actuators (SEMAs) by replacing solid metal coils with liquid-metal channels embedded in elastomeric shells. We demonstrate human-friendly, simple, stretchable, fast, durable, and programmable centimeter-scale SEMAs that drive a soft shark, interact with everyday objects, or rapidly mix a dye with water. A multicoil flower SEMA with individually controlled petals blooms or closes within tens of milliseconds, and a cubic SEMA performs programmed, arbitrary motion sequences. We develop a numerical model supporting design and opening potential routes toward miniaturization, reduction of power consumption, and increase in mechanical efficiency. SEMAs are electrically controlled shape-morphing systems that are potentially empowering future applications from soft grippers to minimally invasive medicine.