Recently, Professor Zhang Weihong from Northwestern Polytechnical University, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with partners from City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, successfully developed a miniature multifunctional soft robot based on electroactive polymers. This robot can autonomously inspect and melt ice in extremely cold environments and navigate flexibly through maze-like confined spaces while performing collaborative tasks. This achievement significantly enhances the operational capabilities of miniature robots in extreme and constrained environments and has been published in the international journal Advanced Science.
Traditional electroactive polymers have single functions and struggle to meet the challenges of complex environments. Academician Zhang’s team developed a new type of polyvinyl chloride-based material, effectively suppressing the heat generation and electrical breakdown issues caused by plasticizer migration by introducing ethyl acetate into the material, resulting in a leap in material performance.
Diagram of material design and multifunctional soft robot.
Based on this material, the team developed a compact and responsive miniature soft robot, with core highlights in swarm intelligence and adaptability to extreme environments. Professor Zhang Junshi from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern Polytechnical University explained that these robots can not only crawl quickly on flat surfaces but also utilize their unique electro-adhesion structure to connect or separate rapidly at the millimeter scale, enabling autonomous reconfiguration and collaborative tasks in confined spaces. This robot integrates self-heating capabilities, allowing it to operate effectively in extremely cold environments at -50°C, completing tasks such as autonomous heating, inspection, and ice melting, showing significant application potential in scenarios like aircraft engine blade inspection, gap detection, and operations in cold regions.
Professor Zhang Junshi stated that this research provides new ideas for the development of small intelligent robotic systems in extreme environments and expands the application prospects of new materials in electronic devices and biomimetic systems.
Source: Science and Technology Daily
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