Chipotle customers may appreciate Chippy, while scientists at North Carolina State University hope that ringbots will one day be able to pull payloads through narrow gaps. They are made from liquid crystal elastomers and shaped like a looped ribbon, somewhat resembling a bracelet.
When these ring robots are placed on a surface that is at least 55° Celsius (131° Fahrenheit), which is hotter than the ambient air, the portion of the ribbon touching the surface contracts, while the section exposed to air does not. This results in a rolling motion in the ribbon. Or, when infrared light is shined on the ringbot, the portion exposed to light contracts, while the section shielded from it does not. In other words, the robot is capable of moving from the bottom up when placed on a hot surface, but in infrared light, it starts from the top down.
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But by engineering the shape of the loop, so that one side of the loop is permanently twisted, the structure is asymmetrical. This means that the loop is exposed to the heat or infrared light unevenly, which causes the soft robot to move laterally across the surface,” said Jie Yin, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State.
