Abstract
Electroactive hydrogels (EAH) that exhibit large deformation in response to an electric field have received great attention as a potential actuating material for soft robots and artificial muscle. However, their application has been limited due to the use of traditional two-dimensional (2D) fabrication methods. Here we present soft robotic manipulation and locomotion with 3D printed EAH microstructures. Through 3D design and precise dimensional control enabled by a digital light processing (DLP) based micro 3D printing technique, complex 3D actuations of EAH are achieved. We demonstrate soft robotic actuations including gripping and transporting an object and a bidirectional locomotion.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 17512-17518 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 21 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 May 30 |
Keywords
- 3D printing
- electroactive hydrogel
- projection microstereolithography
- soft actuator
- soft robotics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Materials Science(all)