Soft robotics for chemists.

Abstract

The development of new types of soft robots, and especially of materials and methods for the fabrication of this class of robots, requires and offers rich new opportunities for interdisciplinary research involving organic chemistry, soft materials science, and robotics. This paper describes a methodology based on embedded pneumatic networks (PneuNets) that enables large-amplitude actuations in soft elastomers by pressurizing embedded channels. Examples include a structure that can change its curvature from convex to concave, and two devices that act as compliant grippers for handling fragile objects (e.g., an uncooked chicken egg, a live, anesthetized mouse) without damaging either. These systems suggest new areas of research for organic materials that are relevant to soft robotics, and to which chemists can make important contributions.