Self-Regulating Capabilities in Photonic Robotics

Traditional robots are machines programmed to accomplish tasks, thanks to a complex ensemble of sensors connected to a computer “brain” which elaborate signals to drive specific actions. This complex network suffers from limitations—the need for a central computer, for instance, poses a limit to device miniaturization and requires a large amount of energy. A promising development, made possible by recent advances in material science, endeavors a new generation of soft robots that are multifunctional, compliant, and autonomous in ways that are similar to biological organisms. In particular, photoresponsive polymers are demonstrated to be valid candidates to substitute the computer-based intelligence with an “intrinsic” material cleverness. First demonstrations of self-sustained motions as oscillations or autonomous walking are described. In these cases, light also provides a solution to a second, very important, issue in microrobotics, which is the availability of a source of energy. Light actuation together with smart polymers can be combined into self-controlled robots capable of simple decision-making processes, for example with robotic grippers that are able to distinguish particles with different colors. In addition, the most recent examples about the integration of a form of robotic “intelligence” into a single material with a minimal level of consciousness are reported.