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Fracture-driven power amplification in a hydrogel launcher

Nature Materials volume 23, pages 1428–1435 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Robotic tasks that require robust propulsion abilities such as jumping, ejecting or catapulting require power-amplification strategies where kinetic energy is generated from pre-stored energy. Here we report an engineered accumulated strain energy-fracture power-amplification method that is inspired by the pressurized fluidic squirting mechanism of Ecballium elaterium (squirting cucumber plants). We realize a light-driven hydrogel launcher that harnesses fast liquid vapourization triggered by the photothermal response of an embedded graphene suspension. This vapourization leads to appreciable elastic energy storage within the surrounding hydrogel network, followed by rapid elastic energy release within 0.3 ms. These soft hydrogel robots achieve controlled launching at high velocity with a predictable trajectory. The accumulated strain energy-fracture method was used to create an artificial squirting cucumber that disperses artificial seeds over metres, which can further achieve smart seeding through an integrated radio-frequency identification chip. This power-amplification strategy provides a basis for propulsive motion to advance the capabilities of miniaturized soft robotic systems.

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Fig. 1: ASEF-based power amplification.
Fig. 2: Factors influencing the driving force for G-hydrogel launchers.
Fig. 3: Structure design and launching trajectory control of hydrogel robot.
Fig. 4: E. elaterium-inspired seed dispersal and smart seed robot.

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All data are available in the Article or its Supplementary Information. Source data are provided with this paper.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) with project nos. R4015-21, C1134-20GF and RFS2122-4S03 (L.Z.); the Croucher Foundation Grant with ref. no. CAS20403; and the CUHK internal grants (L.Z.). We also thank the SIAT-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Robotics and Intelligent Systems and the Multi-scale Medical Robotics Centre (MRC), InnoHK, at the Hong Kong Science Park.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Xin Wang, Chengfeng Pan.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Xin Wang, Neng Xia, Chong Zhang, Bo Hao, Lin Su, Jinsheng Zhao & Li Zhang

  2. The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Chengfeng Pan

  3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Dongdong Jin

  4. Soft Machines Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Carmel Majidi

  5. Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Center, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin NT, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Li Zhang

  6. CUHK T Stone Robotics Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Li Zhang

  7. Chow Yuk Ho Technology Center for Innovative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Li Zhang

  8. Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Li Zhang

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Contributions

X.W., C.P. and L.Z. proposed and designed the research. X.W. and C.P. performed the experiments and analysed the data. X.W., C.P. and N.X. conduced the model analysis. C.Z., B.H. and J.Z created the experimental setup. D.J., L.S. and N.X. gave suggestions in designing the experiment and data analysis. L.Z., C.M. and C.P. supervised the research. All authors discussed the results and wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Chengfeng Pan, Carmel Majidi or Li Zhang.

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Nature Materials thanks Jie Yin, Teng Zhang and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Notes 1–8, Figs. 1–45, Tables 1 and 2, captions for Videos 1–11 and references.

Supplementary Video 1

Take-off process on glass of the NIR-light-driven G-hydrogel launcher.

Supplementary Video 2

Visualization of the phase transition process in silicon oil.

Supplementary Video 3

Launching height of the G-hydrogel launcher.

Supplementary Video 4

Self-launching behaviour of G-hydrogel launcher in different terrains.

Supplementary Video 5

Self-launching behaviour of G-hydrogel launcher driven by focused sunlight.

Supplementary Video 6

Controllable multidirectional launching behaviour of G-hydrogel launcher.

Supplementary Video 7

Hydrogel robot with different deviations of the centroid ratio launch to the stairs.

Supplementary Video 8

Hydrogel robot launch through the holes with different heights.

Supplementary Video 9

Performance of self-launching and catapult motions.

Supplementary Video 10

Bio-mimic seed dispersal motion of E. elaterium.

Supplementary Video 11

Smart seed hydrogel robot for automatic seeding.

Source data

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Statistical source data.

Source Data Fig. 2

Statistical source data.

Source Data Fig. 3

Statistical source data.

Source Data Fig. 4

Statistical source data.

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Wang, X., Pan, C., Xia, N. et al. Fracture-driven power amplification in a hydrogel launcher. Nat. Mater. 23, 1428–1435 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01955-4

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