Light-driven Self-sustained Rolling of Cylinder Hydrogels with Fast and Anisotropic Responses

Achieving continuous motions typically requires dynamic external stimuli for cyclic deformation,or crafted geometries with intricate modules to form a self-regulated feedback loop upon static stimulation.It is still a grand challenge to realize self-sustained motion in soft robots subject to unchanging environment,without complex geometry or a control module.In this work,we report soft robots based on an anisotropic cylindrical hydrogel showing self-regulated,continuous rolling motions under constant light irradiation.The robots are animated by mirror-symmetry-breaking induced by photothermal strain gradient.The self-sustained motion is attributed to the fast and reversible deformation of the gel and the autonomous refresh of the irradiated region during the rolling motion.The hydrogel robots can reach a rolling speed of 1.27 mm·s-1 on a horizonal surface and even climb a ramp of 18° at a speed of 0.57 mm·s-1 in an aqueous environment.Furthermore,the hydrogel robots can overcome an obstacle,with rolling direction controllable through irradiation angle of the light and local irradiation on selective regions.This work suggests a facile strategy to develop hydrogel robots and may provide unforeseen inspirations for the design of self-regulated soft robots by using other intelligent materials.