Self-Oscillating Gel Actuator for Chemical Robotics

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce self-oscillating gel actuators for chemical robotics. The polymer gels prepared here have cyclic reaction networks like in a metabolic process itself. With a cyclic reaction, the polymer gel swells–shrinks autonomously. The periodic self-oscillating motion of the gel is produced by the dissipating chemical energy of the oscillatory Belouzov–Zhabotinsky reaction. We have succeeded in making the synthetic polymer gel walk autonomously like a living organism. This experimental fact represents the great possibility of the chemical robot.