Liquid crystal elastomer soft robotic arm for pick-and-place operation controlled by light

In the past decade, liquid-crystal network (LCN) technology has been used for the development of soft actuators based on the controlled reversible changes of the order parameter of the oriented polymer network. Various deformations ranging from simply bending or curling to complex origami types of morphing are demonstrated. Herein, the work on using LCNs for soft robotic applications in pick-and-place operation. This was achieved through our suction-cup-based gripper that mimics the reversible self-generated vacuum within cephalopod-limb suckers. Our gripper can generate attachment forces up to 4000 times the weight of the gripper, comparable to the sucker of a live octopus.