Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• A soft, untethered electronic robot integrates magnetically responsive composites for reversible programming and diverse motions. • Seamless integration of soft/flexible electronics ensures stable multi-modal electrical functions without hindering mechanical movement. • Demonstrations in artificial tracks show on-demand, environment-responsive navigation and optoelectrical detection/stimulation. • Potential for miniaturized biomedical implants enabling in situ monitoring and treatment.
Abstract
Soft robots have partially or entirely provided versatile opportunities for issues or roles that cannot be addressed by conventional machine robots, although most studies are limited to designs, controls, or physical/mechanical motions. Here, we present a transformable, reconfigurable robotic platform created by the integration of magnetically responsive soft composite matrices with deformable multifunctional electronics. Magnetic compounds engineered to undergo phase transition at a low temperature can readily achieve reversible magnetization and conduct various changes of motions and shapes. Thin and flexible electronic system designed with mechanical dynamics does not interfere with movements of the soft electronic robot, and the performances of wireless circuit, sensors, and devices are independent of a variety of activities, all of which are verified by theoretical studies. Demonstration of navigations and electronic operations in an artificial track highlights the potential of the integrated soft robot for on-demand, environments-responsive movements/metamorphoses, and optoelectrical detection and stimulation. Further improvements to a miniaturized, sophisticated system with material options enable in situ monitoring and treatment in envisioned areas such as biomedical implants.
1. Introduction
Soft, flexible platform technology created research in diverse, envisioned fields based on findings of innovative materials and structures that enable to form defect-free, seamless interfaces to the human body, which offered precise detection of physiological parameters or provided useful functions through delivery of drugs and stimuli. Exampled studies are broadly categorized into non-invasive and invasive types: The former includes electronic skin (E-skin) [1–4], personal healthcare [5–7], augmented reality/virtual reality [8, 9], and human–machine interface [10, 11], and the latter involves drug delivery, stimulation, optogenetics, and medical implants (bioresorbable) [12–15].
Such technology transition with mechanical elasticity has also been extended to robotics. Unlike conventional robots that rely on metallic or plastic joints and motor-driven linkages, mechanically soft robots enabled to interact with living organisms or delicate objects and provide deformable, biologically inspired movements including navigation in complex and unfamiliar environments [16, 17]. While there are many ways to drive the unusual robots, particularly non-tethered, un-restrained soft robots that can freely move in response to various external stimuli—temperature, light, chemical reaction, and electric and magnetic field—have been proposed [18, 19]. Among these stimuli, magnetic field-induced actuation offers the favorable ability to pass through enclosed spaces such as the internal environment of the human body without any harmful effects or reactions [20]. The ease and precise control of magnetic fields in terms of phase, fre
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Sungkeun Han, Jeong-Woong Shin, Joong Hoon Lee, Bowen Li, Gwan-Jin Ko, Tae-Min Jang, Ankan Dutta, Won Bae Han, Seung Min Yang, Dong-Je Kim, Heeseok Kang, Jun Hyeon Lim, Chan-Hwi Eom, So Jeong Choi, Huanyu Cheng, Suk-Won Hwang (2025). Wireless, Multifunctional System-Integrated Programmable Soft Robot. Nano-Micro Letters. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01601-3
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main innovation of this soft robot?
The robot integrates magnetically responsive soft composites with flexible electronics, enabling reversible programming and multifunctional operations without tethering.
How does the robot achieve movement and shape changes?
Magnetic compounds with low-temperature phase transition allow reversible magnetization, enabling diverse motions and shape changes under magnetic fields.
Does the electronic system interfere with the robot's movement?
No, the thin and flexible electronic system is designed with mechanical dynamics that do not interfere with movements, ensuring stable electrical performance.
What are potential applications of this technology?
Potential applications include biomedical implants for in situ monitoring and treatment, as well as navigation in complex environments.
Is the robot wireless?
Yes, the robot is untethered and operates wirelessly, with electronic functions independent of its activities.
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