Multimodal Actuation and Precise Control in Liquid Crystal Elastomer Optical Fiber Artificial Muscles
Abstract
Abstract Artificial muscles mimicking the fibrous structure and functionalities of natural skeletal muscles have garnered substantial interest for applications in actuators, soft robotics, and biomedical devices. However, achieving multidirectional actuation and delicate manipulation in confined environments remains challenging. Inspired by the neuromuscular system, a novel liquid crystal elastomer optical fiber (LCEOF) is introduced as artificial muscle with multimodal actuation and precise control. Fabricated through a two‐step process, the LCEOFs possess sufficient orientation order (0.65) and low optical transmission loss (0.37 dB cm −1 ), enabling over 40% contraction strain with minimal ambient interference. Bundling multiple LCEOFs yields artificial arms capable of complicated and controllable deformations, including long‐distance contraction (≥5 cm), weightlifting (>4000 times their own weight), wide‐range torsion (0–180°), and omnidirectional bending (0–360°). Multimodal actuation is precisely and independently regulated via terminal‐coupled laser inputs for each LCEOF in bundled arrays, enabling coordinated, crosstalk‐free motions. These optical fiber artificial muscles allow precise and controllable operation of an artificial hand for grasping and manipulating objects, without reliance on free‐space lateral illumination. Additionally, robotics systems incorporating bundles of LCEOFs have been designed and demonstrated for tasks such as laser writing and object transfer in confined environments, thereby offering new possibilities for the advancement of smart actuators.
Article Details
Authors (11)
Haojun Liu
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices Guangdong Engineering Technology Research and Development Center of Special Optical Fiber Materials and Devices Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Laser Materials and Applied Techniques South China University of Technology Guangzhou 510640 China
Yongcheng He
JiaJia Luo
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Institute of Polymers and Energy Chemistry (IPEC)/Film Energy Chemistry For Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory (FEC) Nanchang University Nanchang China
Nuo Li
Tanxi Wang
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices Guangdong Engineering Technology Research and Development Center of Special Optical Fiber Materials and Devices Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Laser Materials and Applied Techniques South China University of Technology Guangzhou 510640 China
Enhai Song
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices South China University of Technology Guangzhou China
Qianyi Guo
Flexible Photonic Chip International Innovation Center of Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area Future Institute of Technology School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering South China Normal University Guangzhou China
Zhijun Ma
Zhongqiang Yang
Jiulin Gan
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices School of Materials Science and Engineering South China University of Technology Guangzhou China
Zhongmin Yang