A Novel Piezoelectric‐Driven and Sensing Soft Robot

Abstract This paper presents a novel piezoelectric‐driven and sensing soft robot designed to address the lack of intrinsic sensing capabilities in soft robotic systems. While significant progress is made in soft robot locomotion, most designs still rely on external sensors or complex embedded systems for environmental perception, increasing system complexity, weight, and energy consumption. Developing soft robots with integrated sensing functionalities is crucial for enhancing autonomous interaction and detection, particularly in unstructured environments. The proposed robot features a PVDF/Cu‐based piezoelectric flexible actuator and two asymmetrical arc‐shaped legs, fabricated using a simple and cost‐effective process. Finite element simulations and experiments reveal that its motion is influenced by structural dimensions, voltage amplitude, frequency, and waveform. The optimal configuration—11 mm body length, 6 mm rear leg, 4 mm front leg, 200 Vpp, and ≈100.56 Hz resonance frequency—enables slope climbing, obstacle traversal, and load carrying. Beyond locomotion, the robot leverages the inverse piezoelectric effect to sense mechanical wave signals, similar to how spiders detect web vibrations. By analyzing wave amplitudes, it identifies excitation sources, demonstrating potential for structural health monitoring, environmental sensing, and intelligent micro‐robotics.