Actuators articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Miniature passive fliers are of interest, but there are challenges in controlling their motion. Here, the authors report the use of light-responsive thin films for optical control of the gliding of passive fliers.

    • Jianfeng Yang
    • , M. Ravi Shankar
    •  & Hao Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dielectric elastomer actuators require high driving electric fields to achieve high performances for soft robots due to their low dielectric constant and high stiffness. Here, the authors introduce polar fluorinated groups and nanodomains aggregated by long alkyl side chains into the dielectric elastomer design to overcome these issues and develop fast soft robots.

    • Wenwen Feng
    • , Lin Sun
    •  & Chao Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is significant interest in developing electronic units that can perform sensing, signal processing, and actuation functions independently, similar to biological systems. Lyu et al. develop electronic units based on liquid crystal oligomer networks that exhibit adaptive behavior in response to environmental stimuli such as light and heat.

    • Pengrong Lyu
    • , Dirk J. Broer
    •  & Danqing Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Crystals are known to have a range of responses to light, but multiple responses in the same material are rare. Here, the authors report different mechanical effects in response to light across three polymorphs as a result of a dimerization reaction.

    • Jiawei Lin
    • , Jianmin Zhou
    •  & Junbo Gong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The controllability of deformation height in reconfigurable touch displays currently limits their deliverable information. Hwang et al. present a light-triggered morphable tactile display enabling generation of refreshable, height-adjustable, and latchable 3D topologies with varying textures on a thin film surface.

    • Inwook Hwang
    • , Seongcheol Mun
    •  & Sungryul Yun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Direct growth of piezoelectric oxides on glass is difficult due to high processing temperatures. Here, the authors demonstrate a flash lamp process for the growth of films on various glasses in a few seconds only. The films have piezoelectric e33,f of −5 C m−2 and can be used in haptic devices.

    • Longfei Song
    • , Juliette Cardoletti
    •  & Sebastjan Glinšek

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Environmentally adaptive hydrogels have great potential as soft robotics but achieving self-regulated reversal shape deformation in homogenous hydrogels under a constant stimulus is challenging. Here, the authors report responsive hydrogels functionalized with two photoswitchable spiropyrans that exhibit self-regulated transient deformation reversal when subjected to constant illumination.

    • Kexin Guo
    • , Xuehan Yang
    •  & Chuang Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inspired by the swift swingable abdomen, conducting canals, and body setae of Stenus comma, the authors present a swift, agile untethered insect-scale soft propulsor, offering new insights into systematically bio-inspired artificial soft robots.

    • Xingxing Ke
    • , Haochen Yong
    •  & Zhigang Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Most multi-degrees-of-freedom systems are composed of several piezoelectric stacks, leading to cumbersome and complicated structures. Here, the authors propose a piezo metasurface to achieve various types of high strains in a wide frequency range.

    • Liao Qiao
    • , Xiangyu Gao
    •  & Fei Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electro-active ionic soft actuators generally present slow responses and poor durability when are applied as artificial muscles. Here, the authors describe a polyelectrolyte membrane based on the assembly of Nafion molecules into micelles with efficient ionic conducting pathways for electro-ionic soft actuators and soft robotics with fast responses and long durability.

    • Van Hiep Nguyen
    • , Saewoong Oh
    •  & Il-Kwon Oh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The sign of longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients is typically positive. Here, the authors tune the sign of the linear piezoelectric coefficient of HfO2 from positive to negative via epitaxial strain, finding nonlinear and parabolic piezoelectric behaviors at tensile epitaxial strain.

    • Hao Cheng
    • , Peijie Jiao
    •  & Yurong Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The design of multifunctional platforms with tunable spectroscopic and fluorescent properties that span the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectral regions remains challenging. Here, the authors report an actuator-type system that leverages a readily-prepared, easily-processable, and exceptionally-stable nonacene-like molecule to achieve multiple complementary dynamic operating modes.

    • Preeta Pratakshya
    • , Chengyi Xu
    •  & Alon A. Gorodetsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    “The combination of stimuli responsive nanomaterials and 3D printing leads interesting applications in the fields of soft robots and actuators. Here, the authors present a 3D printing approach for the fabrication of liquid metal nanoparticles-polymer composites acting as light controlled soft robots which can lift weights, grasp and release items”.

    • Liwen Zhang
    • , Xumin Huang
    •  & Ruirui Qiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Underwater soft robots made of stimuli-responsive shape-changing hydrogels generally present low actuation speed which is limited by the water diffusion between hydrogels and their surrounding environment. Here, the authors develop dynamic hydrogel robots with a fast and switchable actuation based on a thermally driven chain conformation change after mechanical programming.

    • Chujun Ni
    • , Di Chen
    •  & Qian Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrostrictors are materials that develop mechanical strain proportional to the square of the applied electric field. Here authors report. Zr-doped-Ceria as a new lead-free electrostrictive material with a similar electrostriction coefficient to the best electrostrictor material currently in use.

    • Maxim Varenik
    • , Boyuan Xu
    •  & Igor Lubomirsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors demonstrate here a method for the production of arbitrarily long, light-guiding microstructured fibers with shape-memory properties. The showcased design of adaptative fibers here holds potential for the development of functional actuators and sensors.

    • Clément Strutynski
    • , Marianne Evrard
    •  & Frédéric Smektala

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The soft fluidic robots designed so far are lacking intelligent self-protection and present poor fluidic power source. Here, the authors report soft fluidic robots that integrate soft electrohydrodynamic pumps, healing electrofluids, actuators and E-skins endowing them with self-sensing, self-judgment, and self-heating behaviours for rapid self-healing.

    • Wei Tang
    • , Yiding Zhong
    •  & Jun Zou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Soft robots made of hydrogels with anisotropic and shape-change properties offer interesting design opportunities. Here, the authors report zwitterionic hydrogels and anisotropic cellulose nanocrystals composites in which the shear-induced alignment of cellulose nanocrystals allows for the development of shape-change programmable miniature robots.

    • Rasool Nasseri
    • , Negin Bouzari
    •  & Hamed Shahsavan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sun et al. introduce a novel embedded shape-morphing method, enabling robots to adapt to environments or tasks by changing their morphologies through embedded actuation, sensing, and shape locking, all within a robot’s body.

    • Jiefeng Sun
    • , Elisha Lerner
    •  & Jianguo Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Light-driven actuators have great potential in different types of applications but is still challenging to apply them in flying devices owing to their slow response, small deflection and force output. Here, the authors report a rotary flying photoactuator with fast rotation and rapid response.

    • Dan Wang
    • , Zhaomin Chen
    •  & Metin Sitti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Actuators provide robot locomotion and manipulation, but most are limited by their number of motion types and coupled motions. Here, Zhang et. al. present an origami actuation module based on a modified Kresling pattern with pneumatically-driven pouches, thus enabling seven motion modes in one module.

    • Chao Zhang
    • , Zhuang Zhang
    •  & Hanqing Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Trainable responsive materials have received research interests for future adaptive and intelligent material systems but to date trainable responsive materials only allow one direction of functionality change. Here, the authors demonstrate thermally trainable hydrogel systems consisting of two thermoresponsive polymers, where the volumetric response of the system upon phase transitions enhances or decreases through a training process above a certain threshold temperature.

    • Shanming Hu
    • , Yuhuang Fang
    •  & Hang Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Marangoni swimmers have high relative speed, considering the body length and absence of a mechanical system but the fabricating is complex. Song et al. transform simple pen strokes into dynamic, programmable robots that can ‘swim’ with striking versatility.

    • Seo Woo Song
    • , Sumin Lee
    •  & Jiyun Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Isotropization temperature determines the temperature at which Liquid Crystals Elastomer (LCE) material actuates. Here, the authors give a general strategy based on dynamic covalent bonds for tuning the isotropization temperature for LCEs.

    • Yanjin Yao
    • , Enjian He
    •  & Yan Ji

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Insect-scale untethered micro aerial vehicles such as artificial dandelion devices suffer from high flight randomness and inadequate controllability. Chen et al. design and fabricate an untethered dandelion-inspired microflier, which is spatially and temporally controlled by an ultralight and supersensitive light-driven bimorph soft actuator.

    • Yuanhao Chen
    • , Cristian Valenzuela
    •  & Wei Feng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electroadhesion in soft robotics provides controllable interfacial attraction for robotic functionalities but materials selection is limited. Here, Gao et. al. present an iontronic adhesive to design a soft iontronic gripper with self-healability, tunable adhesion at reduced voltages and rapid release.

    • Dace Gao
    • , Gurunathan Thangavel
    •  & Pooi See Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Small-scale manipulation of liquids is being controlled with bulky pumps or power sources. Dradrach et al. show a light-driven pumping of micro-liter liquid using a centimeter-long liquid crystal elastomer strip.

    • Klaudia Dradrach
    • , Michał Zmyślony
    •  & Piotr Wasylczyk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Origami-inspired engineering has enabled intelligent materials and structures to react to environments, yet a complete sense-decide-act autonomous loop is still challenging. Yan et al. introduce autonomous origami robots by embedding sensing, computing, and actuating in compliant, conductive materials.

    • Wenzhong Yan
    • , Shuguang Li
    •  & Ankur Mehta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are widely used in soft actuators but existing DE actuators often require high driving electrical fields. Here the authors demonstrate that introducing cyanoethyl cellulose into plasticized PVC gel confers high dielectric permittivity and allows the fabrication of elastomer actuators with high permittivity and low viscoelasticity

    • Jianjian Huang
    • , Xiaodie Zhang
    •  & Dongjie Guo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Development of Soft shape-memory materials is often limited to the synthesis of two-dimensional specimens and rely on bending mechanisms and scaffolding topology to perform three-dimensional morphing. Here, the authors demonstrate a shape-memory composite material made from main-chain liquid crystal elastomer microparticles dispersed in a silicone polymer matrix which enables molding into full-volume objects of any shape or size.

    • Matej Bobnar
    • , Nikita Derets
    •  & Andraž Rešetič

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Soft robotics holds promise for realizing easy control over complex locomotion and deformation. Lin et al. report an earthworm-inspired untethered magnetic robot that consists one-piece-mold folded diaphragm to achieve large three-dimensional deformation with inside-volume change capability.

    • Dezhao Lin
    • , Fan Yang
    •  & Ruihong Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Switching between adhesive and non-adhesive states is important to design materials with on-demand adhesion properties but realizing reversible switching on large scale remains challenging. Here, the authors report the design of a hydrogel demonstrating rapid and reversibly switch between slippery and sticky states.

    • Zhizhi Zhang
    • , Chenxi Qin
    •  & Feng Zhou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tough and healable elastomers are promising materials to realize resilient soft robots but mechanical enhancements often lead to higher stiffness that deteriorates actuation strains. Here, the authors introduce liquid metal nanoparticles into carboxyl polyurethane elastomer to sensitize a dielectric elastomer actuator with responsiveness to electric fields and NIR light.

    • Matthew Wei Ming Tan
    • , Hyunwoo Bark
    •  & Pooi See Lee

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