Fig. 4: Light-driven robotic systems with caterpillar-inspired locomotion.

a Schematic of the design framework. b Actuation, c phototactic deformation, d movement across multiple actuation cycles, e sequential arrival task, and f simulated displacement and anchor mechanism, of the light-driven crawler. g Actuation, h phototactic deformation, i movement across multiple actuation cycles, j sequential arrival task, and k simulated displacement and anchor mechanism, of the light-shielded crawler. l Schematic of the anchor-friction mechanism. m Schematic of the change of anchor angles in locomotion. n Image of the light-driven crawlers. o Schematic of the light-driven ball drop-and-catch system. p The ball-dropping path across two runs of light-controlled drop-and-catch. q Movement of the ball-collecting robot. The unspecified scale bars are 10 mm.