Designing "Gel Bots" that Communicate Through Self-generated Mechanical Forces
Abstract
The purpose of the Short-Term Innovative Research (STIR) Program is to provide short-term funding to help launch high-risk, innovative research and allow researchers to obtain preliminary results that can steer further explorations of new concepts. To put our proposed work in a larger context, we first describe our overarching goals. In Section II, we describe the specific short-term studies we will undertake with this seed funding to help realize our long-term vision. Our long-term goal is to revolutionize the design of soft robots, enabling these machines to exhibit the dynamic and adaptive functionality of biological systems. Current robots require microprocessors and microelectronics to direct and power the devices to perform specific tasks. For the robot to alter its function, the programmer must alter the code. Hence, such robotic systems are not particularly adaptive; they cannot spontaneously modify their functionality in response to environmental changes. In contrast, polymer gels offer a significant range of stimuliresponsive properties, allowing the material to dynamically and autonomously change its behavior in response to external cues. We aim to merge fundamental concepts from robotics and polymer science to design systems where the machine and the material are one and the same entity, thus creating soft robots that can autonomously sense, communicate, move and perform collaborative activities. To carry out these studies, we must establish new design rules for creating systems that operate out of equilibrium and dissipate energy to function. To date, there are few guidelines for designing dissipative, dynamic materials, which are vital for fabricating the next generation of adaptive robots. To address this challenge, we will develop new multi-physics models that capture the range of dynamic mechanical, chemical, thermal and opto-electronic processesÑand the inter-conversion of energy among these domainsÑthat are needed to formulate the fundamental principles that will ultimately enable the fabrication of highly responsive, self-regulating, and cooperative soft robotic systems. Without such models, we are constrained to design Òstatic materialsÓ that are governed by thermodynamic equilibrium and thus, cannot make vital predictions needed to facilitate the fabrication of dynamic, adaptive material systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 2020
- Source ID
- W911NF1810298
Entities
People
- Anna C. Balazs
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Pittsburgh