Collaborative actuation of liquid crystal elastomer unit cells as a function design platform

Abstract As future soft robotic devices necessitate a level of complexity surpassing current standards, a new design approach is needed that integrates multiple systems necessary to synchronize the motions of soft actuators and the response of signals, thereby enhancing the intelligence of flexible devices. Herein, we propose a liquid crystal elastomer unit cell-based platform that organizes the cells in a group to create expandable functions. One unit cell behaves like a flexible module that can expand biaxially into a specific, stable, and controllable pattern. Collaborating the unit cells in different manners results in an adaptable soft grasper, a half-adder for information processing, and a tunable phononic bandgap. This implies a high level of reconfigurability and scalability in both structures and functions by elegantly reassembling the unit cells. This design strategy has the potential to integrate multiple functions that traditional soft actuators cannot accommodate, providing a platform for developing intelligent soft robotics.