Locomotion of miniature soft robots
Miniature soft robots are mobile devices, which are made of smart materials that can be actuated by external stimuli to realize their desired functionalities. Here, the key advancements and challenges of the locomotion producible by miniature soft robots in micro- to centimeter length scales are hig...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2022
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155762 |
| _version_ | 1826113866890739712 |
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| author | Ng, Chelsea Shan Xian Tan, Matthew Wei Ming Xu, Changyu Yang, Zilin Lee, Pooi See Lum, Guo Zhan |
| author2 | School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering |
| author_facet | School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Ng, Chelsea Shan Xian Tan, Matthew Wei Ming Xu, Changyu Yang, Zilin Lee, Pooi See Lum, Guo Zhan |
| author_sort | Ng, Chelsea Shan Xian |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Miniature soft robots are mobile devices, which are made of smart materials that can be actuated by external stimuli to realize their desired functionalities. Here, the key advancements and challenges of the locomotion producible by miniature soft robots in micro- to centimeter length scales are highlighted. It is highly desirable to endow these small machines with dexterous locomotive gaits as it enables them to easily access highly confined and enclosed spaces via a noninvasive manner. If miniature soft robots are able to capitalize this unique ability, they will have the potential to transform a vast range of applications, including but not limited to, minimally invasive medical treatments, lab-on-chip applications, and search-and-rescue missions. The gaits of miniature soft robots are categorized into terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial locomotion. Except for the centimeter-scale robots that can perform aerial locomotion, the discussions in this report are centered around soft robots that are in the micro- to millimeter length scales. Under each category of locomotion, prospective methods and strategies that can improve their gait performances are also discussed. This report provides critical analyses and discussions that can inspire future strategies to make miniature soft robots significantly more agile. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:30:14Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/155762 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:30:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1557622022-03-18T07:44:35Z Locomotion of miniature soft robots Ng, Chelsea Shan Xian Tan, Matthew Wei Ming Xu, Changyu Yang, Zilin Lee, Pooi See Lum, Guo Zhan School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering School of Materials Science and Engineering Engineering::Mechanical engineering Locomotion Miniature Robots Miniature soft robots are mobile devices, which are made of smart materials that can be actuated by external stimuli to realize their desired functionalities. Here, the key advancements and challenges of the locomotion producible by miniature soft robots in micro- to centimeter length scales are highlighted. It is highly desirable to endow these small machines with dexterous locomotive gaits as it enables them to easily access highly confined and enclosed spaces via a noninvasive manner. If miniature soft robots are able to capitalize this unique ability, they will have the potential to transform a vast range of applications, including but not limited to, minimally invasive medical treatments, lab-on-chip applications, and search-and-rescue missions. The gaits of miniature soft robots are categorized into terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial locomotion. Except for the centimeter-scale robots that can perform aerial locomotion, the discussions in this report are centered around soft robots that are in the micro- to millimeter length scales. Under each category of locomotion, prospective methods and strategies that can improve their gait performances are also discussed. This report provides critical analyses and discussions that can inspire future strategies to make miniature soft robots significantly more agile. National Research Foundation (NRF) Submitted/Accepted version G.Z.L. was funded by the start-up grant awarded by Nanyang Technological University. P.S.L. was funded by the National Research Foundation Investigatorship Award, NRF-NRFI2016-05, awarded by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore. 2022-03-18T07:44:35Z 2022-03-18T07:44:35Z 2021 Journal Article Ng, C. S. X., Tan, M. W. M., Xu, C., Yang, Z., Lee, P. S. & Lum, G. Z. (2021). Locomotion of miniature soft robots. Advanced Materials, 33(19), 2003558-. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202003558 0935-9648 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155762 10.1002/adma.202003558 33338296 2-s2.0-85097815932 19 33 2003558 en RF-NRFI2016-05 Advanced Materials This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ng, C. S. X., Tan, M. W. M., Xu, C., Yang, Z., Lee, P. S. & Lum, G. Z. (2021). Locomotion of Miniature Soft Robots. Advanced Materials, 33(19), 2003558-, which has been published in final form at doi.org/10.1002/adma.202003558. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Engineering::Mechanical engineering Locomotion Miniature Robots Ng, Chelsea Shan Xian Tan, Matthew Wei Ming Xu, Changyu Yang, Zilin Lee, Pooi See Lum, Guo Zhan Locomotion of miniature soft robots |
| title | Locomotion of miniature soft robots |
| title_full | Locomotion of miniature soft robots |
| title_fullStr | Locomotion of miniature soft robots |
| title_full_unstemmed | Locomotion of miniature soft robots |
| title_short | Locomotion of miniature soft robots |
| title_sort | locomotion of miniature soft robots |
| topic | Engineering::Mechanical engineering Locomotion Miniature Robots |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155762 |
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