A Bionic Venus Flytrap Soft Microrobot Driven by Multiphysics for Intelligent Transportation

With the continuous integration of material science and bionic technology, as well as increasing requirements for the operation of robots in complex environments, researchers continue to develop bionic intelligent microrobots, the development of which will cause a great revolution in daily life and productivity. In this study, we propose a bionic flower based on the PNIPAM-PEGDA bilayer structure. PNIPAM is temperature-responsive and solvent-responsive, thus acting as an active layer, while PEGDA does not change significantly in response to a change in temperature and solvent, thus acting as a rigid layer. The bilayer flower is closed in cold water and gradually opens under laser illumination. In addition, the flower gradually opens after injecting ethanol into the water. When the volume of ethanol exceeds the volume of water, the flower opens completely. In addition, we propose a bionic Venus flytrap soft microrobot with a bilayer structure. The robot is temperature-responsive and can reversibly transform from a 2D sheet to a 3D tubular structure. It is normally in a closed state in both cold (T < 32 C-degrees) and hot water (T > 32 C-degrees), and can be used to load and transport objects to the target position (magnetic field strength < 1 T).

Automated summary

With the integration of material science and bionic technology, researchers have developed a bionic flower and a bionic Venus flytrap soft microrobot with bilayer structures. These robots are temperature and solvent responsive, capable of reversible transformations and potential functions such as loading and transportation.