Reconfigurable structures that can repeatedly change their ...

Usually created from highly compliant, often bio-inspired materials, soft microrobots occupy a fascinating sub-field of robotics. With their flexibility and adaptability, they find deployment in an ...

Thermal microactuators and electrothermal actuation systems are pivotal components in modern microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), converting electrical energy into controlled mechanical motion via ...

Figure 1: an illustration of how the micrometer-scale hydrogel actuators work. a. When an external electric field is applied, water inside the soft hydrogel moves through its internal network, causing ...

Using a new precision bonding process they developed, Penn State researchers have designed and fabricated tiny new piezoelectric microactuators -- the largest only a hair's breadth wide -- based on ...

Scientists have developed microscopic, hydrogel-based muscles that can manipulate and mechanically stimulate biological tissue. These soft, biocompatible robots could be used for targeted therapy and ...