25th Anniversary Article: A Soft Future: From Robots and Sensor Skin to Energy Harvesters

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Abstract

Scientists are exploring elastic and soft forms of robots, electronic skin and energy harvesters, dreaming to mimic nature and to enable novel applications in wide fields, from consumer and mobile appliances to biomedical systems, sports and healthcare. All conceivable classes of materials with a wide range of mechanical, physical and chemical properties are employed, from liquids and gels to organic and inorganic solids. Functionalities never seen before are achieved. In this review we discuss soft robots which allow actuation with several degrees of freedom. We show that different actuation mechanisms lead to similar actuators, capable of complex and smooth movements in 3d space. We introduce latest research examples in sensor skin development and discuss ultraflexible electronic circuits, light emitting diodes and solar cells as examples. Additional functionalities of sensor skin, such as visual sensors inspired by animal eyes, camouflage, self-cleaning and healing and on-skin energy storage and generation are briefly reviewed. Finally, we discuss a paradigm change in energy harvesting, away from hard energy generators to soft ones based on dielectric elastomers. Such systems are shown to work with high energy of conversion, making them potentially interesting for harvesting mechanical energy from human gait, winds and ocean waves.

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Most cited references 200

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Ionic-liquid materials for the electrochemical challenges of the future.

Michel Armand, Frank Endres, Douglas MacFarlane … (2009)

Ionic liquids are room-temperature molten salts, composed mostly of organic ions that may undergo almost unlimited structural variations. This review covers the newest aspects of ionic liquids in applications where their ion conductivity is exploited; as electrochemical solvents for metal/semiconductor electrodeposition, and as batteries and fuel cells where conventional media, organic solvents (in batteries) or water (in polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells), fail. Biology and biomimetic processes in ionic liquids are also discussed. In these decidedly different materials, some enzymes show activity that is not exhibited in more traditional systems, creating huge potential for bioinspired catalysis and biofuel cells. Our goal in this review is to survey the recent key developments and issues within ionic-liquid research in these areas. As well as informing materials scientists, we hope to generate interest in the wider community and encourage others to make use of ionic liquids in tackling scientific challenges.

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An ultra-lightweight design for imperceptible plastic electronics.

Martin Kaltenbrunner, Tsuyoshi Sekitani, Jonathan Reeder … (2013)

Electronic devices have advanced from their heavy, bulky origins to become smart, mobile appliances. Nevertheless, they remain rigid, which precludes their intimate integration into everyday life. Flexible, textile and stretchable electronics are emerging research areas and may yield mainstream technologies. Rollable and unbreakable backplanes with amorphous silicon field-effect transistors on steel substrates only 3 μm thick have been demonstrated. On polymer substrates, bending radii of 0.1 mm have been achieved in flexible electronic devices. Concurrently, the need for compliant electronics that can not only be flexed but also conform to three-dimensional shapes has emerged. Approaches include the transfer of ultrathin polyimide layers encapsulating silicon CMOS circuits onto pre-stretched elastomers, the use of conductive elastomers integrated with organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) on polyimide islands, and fabrication of OFETs and gold interconnects on elastic substrates to realize pressure, temperature and optical sensors. Here we present a platform that makes electronics both virtually unbreakable and imperceptible. Fabricated directly on ultrathin (1 μm) polymer foils, our electronic circuits are light (3 g m(-2)) and ultraflexible and conform to their ambient, dynamic environment. Organic transistors with an ultra-dense oxide gate dielectric a few nanometres thick formed at room temperature enable sophisticated large-area electronic foils with unprecedented mechanical and environmental stability: they withstand repeated bending to radii of 5 μm and less, can be crumpled like paper, accommodate stretching up to 230% on prestrained elastomers, and can be operated at high temperatures and in aqueous environments. Because manufacturing costs of organic electronics are potentially low, imperceptible electronic foils may be as common in the future as plastic wrap is today. Applications include matrix-addressed tactile sensor foils for health care and monitoring, thin-film heaters, temperature and infrared sensors, displays, and organic solar cells.

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Multigait soft robot.

Robert F Shepherd, Filip Ilievski, Wonjae Choi … (2011)

This manuscript describes a unique class of locomotive robot: A soft robot, composed exclusively of soft materials (elastomeric polymers), which is inspired by animals (e.g., squid, starfish, worms) that do not have hard internal skeletons. Soft lithography was used to fabricate a pneumatically actuated robot capable of sophisticated locomotion (e.g., fluid movement of limbs and multiple gaits). This robot is quadrupedal; it uses no sensors, only five actuators, and a simple pneumatic valving system that operates at low pressures (< 10 psi). A combination of crawling and undulation gaits allowed this robot to navigate a difficult obstacle. This demonstration illustrates an advantage of soft robotics: They are systems in which simple types of actuation produce complex motion.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Adv Mater

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Adv. Mater. Weinheim

Journal ID (publisher-id): adma

Title: Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

Publisher: BlackWell Publishing Ltd (Oxford, UK )

ISSN (Print): 0935-9648

ISSN (Electronic): 1521-4095

Publication date (Print): January 2014

Publication date (Electronic): 04 November 2013

Volume: 26

Issue: 1

Pages: 149-162

Affiliations

[1 ]Soft Matter Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz Altenbergerstrasse 69, 4040, Linz, Austria

[2 ]The University of Tokyo, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Information Systems 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

[3 ]School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

Article

DOI: 10.1002/adma.201303349

PMC ID: 4240516

PubMed ID: 24307641

SO-VID: a1fb53ec-af39-4a4d-bbe4-8e66259fdd18

License:

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

History

Date received : 19 July 2013

25th Anniversary Article: A Soft Future: From Robots and Sensor Skin to Energy Harvesters

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Abstract

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Renewable Energy - Solar

Most cited references 200

Ionic-liquid materials for the electrochemical challenges of the future.

An ultra-lightweight design for imperceptible plastic electronics.

Multigait soft robot.

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