Untethered soft robotic matter with passive control of shape morphing and propulsion

) to form active hinges that interconnect polymeric tiles. When heated above their respective actuation temperatures, the printed LCE hinges exhibit a large, reversible bending response. Their actuation response is programmed by varying their chemistry and printed architecture. Through an integrated design and additive manufacturing approach, we created passively controlled, untethered soft robotic matter that adopts task-specific configurations on demand, including a self-twisting origami polyhedron that exhibits three stable configurations and a "rollbot" that assembles into a pentagonal prism and self-rolls in programmed responses to thermal stimuli.

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: DMR-1420570
• AR
  Army Research Office

  Awards: W911NF-17-1-0351, W911NF-17-1-0147