Untethered Multifunctional Biomimetic Soft Actuator with Light and Magneto-Responsive Capabilities

Stimulus-responsive materials are propelling the rapid progress of soft actuators. Despite exciting advancements have been made, the integration of multi-stimulus response capability, programmable shape deformation, and local manipulability into a single material system remains a challenge. In this study, we have developed an untethered bilayer material responsive to both light and magnetic fields. The bilayer material is achieved by integrating photosensitive bilayer material with magnetoactive soft materials possessing programmable magnetic domains. The resulting actuators exhibits excellent responsiveness to both light and magnetic stimuli. In addition, they can also be manipulated through the synergistic effects of local light stimulation and a magnetic field, thereby enhancing their control versatility. These capabilities have inspired us to explore a wide range of applications, encompassing biomimetic robots and flexible electronic devices. The coupling principle of shape-morphing and responsive actuation shows significant promise for advancing the development of soft robots and other functional devices in the future.