Researchers at Tampere University and Anhui Jianzhu University have developed a new type of soft robot that can swim by itself in thick liquids. The researchers consider this a breakthrough in soft robotics.

This soft toroidal micro-robot, shaped like a doughnut and made with flexible materials, can move and adapt to its surroundings. Unlike hard robots, soft robots can squeeze through small spaces and handle delicate tasks.

The main goal of this micro-robot is to navigate through viscous liquids. Viscous liquids are thick and sticky, like honey or syrup. Many industries need to work with such liquids, and having a robot that can move in them can make processes easier and safer.

The researchers describe the new micro-robot in a paper published in Nature Materials. The robot pushes itself forward by moving its body under constant light illumination.

The researchers used a synthetic material known as liquid crystalline elastomer, which reacts to stimuli like lasers.

The micro-robot moves spontaneously under constant exposure to light or heat. Exploiting dynamic friction or drag forces makes it possible to obtain light-steerable motion in a variety of fluid environments.

Applications and future research

“The implications of this research extend beyond robotics, potentially impacting fields such as medicine and environmental monitoring,” says researcher Zixuan Deng in a Tampere University press release.

Deng adds that the device could transport drugs through physiological mucus and unblock blood vessels.

Deng believes that future research will explore the interactions and collective dynamics of multiple robots, potentially leading to new methods of communication between intelligent microrobots.

There is, indeed, a project to explore “lifelike material structures that communicate with each other via physical contact, fluidic media or optical beams.”

The project’s goal is “to design soft robots that sustain their own movement, make their own decisions and adapt to their environmental conditions, without human control.”

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